


Devil of the Red Spring

by LadyAbernathyWordsmith



Series: The Uchiha Chronicles [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Multi, Next Generation, One Big Happy Family, Original Character(s), Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-05-28 08:54:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6323005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyAbernathyWordsmith/pseuds/LadyAbernathyWordsmith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of Suizen, a promising young shinobi who, quite possibly, isn't meant to be a ninja. The thing is...Not only is he the child of two legendary ninja's, he's also an Uchiha. What's a boy to do; disappoint his dad? His family? Forsake the golden opportunity he's been given as one of the few Uchiha left in the world?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Boy, Blood Thirsty

**Author's Note:**

> AGES  
> Sarada: 24  
> Shino: 5 (Dead)  
> Shizu: 12  
> Shina: 12  
> Suizen: 10  
> Suzu: 9  
> Seiji: 8  
> Sayaka: 8  
> Shou: 7  
> Suoh: 7  
> Sora: 7  
> Saizo: 7

_12 years after Uchiha Sasuke returns._

For as long as he'd been able to walk and throw a knife, Suizen was not babied.

Of course, there were limits on what his mother and father would allow him to learn as a child, but those limits were usually ignored by his older brothers and sisters.

He threw shuriken at the back of Shizu's door when he was 4, was full-contact sparring with his siblings at 7, gained his sharingan at 8 and learnt the Chidori at 10. Suizen was a typical over-achiever Uchiha, like his uncle before him. Teachers praised his skill and discipline, used him as an example of an excellent student and shinobi, though, that all quickly ended when they were allowed to spar in earnest.

It was a memory etched vividly in Suizen's memory.

It was late winter when it had happened. Another storm had passed through only a couple days prior so there was fresh snow on the ground on the ground. The teacher, Aburame-sensei, had declared that there would be a tourney today among the classes. They would be put into one on one matches, the winner going onto the next round, until there was one student left. That student would win a new set of kunai and a bit of cash. 

Suizen, who had been saving up for a new kunai set anyway, was determined to win. He could pool together his money and his winnings and go on a shopping trip! He'd go to the toy store, and the electronic's store, and even the fast food place! All alone, he wouldn't have to share or anything! He was going to win, he wouldn't allow a loss.

The torney was being held outside in the yard. The snow had since been packed down by a couple of the teachers, providing a smooth and hard surface to fight on.

His first match was, coincidentally, against a Hyuuga. Their fight had ended with Suizen providing a super-powered punch to the ground, causing a shake that was enough to make the girl unbalanced and give the pink haired boy enough time to get into the bubble of space she'd made, nail her with a quick punch to the ribs and slip beside her to hold the dull practice knife to her neck. 

The next couple were a bit easier, and it seemed like he was being consistently given opponents from other clans rather than the students who came from civilian families. Clan-born ninja had the advantage of culture, being raised around shinobi all their lives and reaping the rewards of experienced family. So far, he'd beaten a Hyuuga, a Nara, an Inuzuka (plus the puppy), and a half a dozen others, most of them with taijutsu. (The Nara required a blast of Fire Breath to break the line of shadow he was sending to Suizen.)

The day was long and difficult. Suizen's coat was ruffled and scuffed, his black leather gloves worn at the knuckles, but he only had one last fight to finish before he got his prize.

His last match up was with a boy from another class, not particularly big or scary, but more annoying. "So, you're the Uchiha?" Were the first words out his mouth when he was put in front of Suizen.

"Yeah," He said as they slid into their respective battle stances, Suizen with his right hand in front of him holding his dulled knife and his left hand resting on his right elbow, left foot in front of the left, empathizing speed over raw strength or defense. His opponent was the opposite, standing with his legs parted in a steady stance, arms strong by his sides, ready to punch of Suizen got into his range.

"What's with your hair?"

Suizen blinked, confused as the teacher went to set up the other students, who were on the sidelines, waiting to watch the last fight. "It's my hair. What kind of question is that?"

"Dude, it's _pink_." The other guy said, an incredulous look on his face.

"Way to point out the obvious." Replied Suizen dryly. He hadn't really thought about his hair before. Yes it was pink, like his mother's, Shina and Shizu's, albeit a bit darker than any of theirs.

"Only weirdos have pink hair, especially boys."

That settled it. Before, he was annoying, but now he was just pissing him off!! (He hadn't considered this little pre-battle conversation as a ploy on the other boy's part to rile him up so he would make a mistake in his anger, which, in retrospect, was rather obvious.) Suizen's Sharingan lit, his pitch black eyes turned red just as the teacher, from afar, called 'GO!'

The young Uchiha moved fast, attacking with efficiency. He ran at his opponent, diving to the side just as the other went to punch him. Suizen kicked back and up with both feet, nailing the goliath in the ribs and sending him staggering, though it was only for a second as he turned, facing Suizen and regaining balance. Suizen didn't let up, rushing at the boy again and punching, attempting to focus chakra into his first like his sister Sarada had taught him, though he wasn't able to do it to a very effective extent due to his fury. The boy guarded against the hit, raising his left arm to redirect his fist and letting his arm take the hit.

Using his sharingan, Suizen saw that he was going to try and punch with his right arm. However, something strange happened, the boy's eyes widened, tears forming at the corners of his eyes as the pain of the hit registered and his right fist instead turned into an open-handed push, trying to get Suizen away. But the Uchiha was faster, and slammed an enhanced kick into the boy's side, attacking the same side he'd hit earlier, though in a different area and sent the boy skidding to the side. 

The slid back on his feet, bend over with one hand on the ground and the other on his stomach. Suizen didn't let the other take a breath before he was on him again.

Sparring with older brothers and sisters, he was not used to lightening his touch during a fight. He ran at him, flickering his image from left to right, forcing the boy to keep his eyes on him as he got into the same stance, ready to attack once Suizen got close enough. Suizen, at the last second, flickered so he was right in front of his opponent. Instinct forced the boy to stand straight despite his bruised ribs screaming in pain in order to avoid the punch headed straight for his face. Suizen then flickered so he was behind and beside the other (at about 8 o'clock on a clock face), with Suizen a bit higher in the air. He grabbed the other's head by his hair, brought his knee up and slammed his knee into his lower jaw.

Suizen stepped back as the boy recoiled, screaming incoherently as he fell to the ground, spitting blood from his now displaced jaw and kicked-in teeth.

Teachers rushed to his opponent as Suizen stepped back. He smirked, satisfied as the boy spat blood onto the snow as he med-nin were called in. 

This, to him, was a decisive victory. He'd broken bone and torn flesh, and in a house with one of, if not _the best_ medical ninja in the world, a broken jaw was nothing, broken ribs were like colds...infact, colds were probably worse than broken bones in the Uchiha house.

"Suizen-kun." He turned, seeing Aburame-sensei standing above him. He waited for the inevitable praise with a smile on his face. "You have blood on your face."

Oh? Did he? He went to wipe off his cheek with his sleeve. "I didn't realize I got cut..."

"I don't think that's yours." He said, kneeling and taking out a tissue from his pocket, wiping away the red from his face. "Congratulations on your win." 

Suizen's smile was sweet, left eye closing as the teacher wiped away the blood on his temple and cheek. "Thank you." 

"Where did you learn to fight like that? You know you're not supposed to spar with your classmates unless a teacher's present." 

The boy avoided eye contact with the teacher, unknowingly making his unease obvious. "I dunno...I can just fight really well!"

"But, you realize that it was too much, right?" Asked Shino, putting the used tissue into his pocket. "You really hurt Nakamura-kun."

The boy furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "If he doesn't expect to be hurt in a fight, then he shouldn't be a ninja!"

Shino put a hand on his head. "Suizen...You have a medical ninja for a sister and mom, he doesn't. When he fights with his brothers, there's no knifes or blood or broken bones. Nakamura isn't as well-equipped as you are. You should've gone a bit easier on him."

Suizen began to feel like he was being attacked. Why was it his fault he had good medical help at home?! That he had older siblings who never went easy on him when they fought?! He'd broken too many bones to count already, why did it matter if this guy broke his jaw once?! He grit his teeth, ready to defend himself. "He called me weird! And Mama too! Anyone with pink hair like mine!" He bit back, stepping away from his teacher. "I only defended my family's dignity! Besides, weaklings like him should never be ninja in the first place!"

"Suizen, you-" Shino reached out to calm the boy down.

"No!" The pink haired boy snapped back, glaring at Shino with his sharingan unknowingly activated. "You said it yourself, it was full-contact sparring! I didn't do anything wrong!" Suizen hissed, fists clenched tight at his sides. 

"Aburame-san!" Shino looked up, seeing Nakamura being carried away on a gurney, the med-nin was going to ask for his report on the matter, how Nakamura had been hurt and who was responsible.

"Go get your things and go to the head office." He ordered Suizen. "I'm going to call your mother and we're going to have a talk about limits, okay?"

Suizen didn't look at Shino, but was forced to by the man pulling his chin and forcing him to look up. "Okay?" He repeated with empathis. 

Suizen grumbled out a reluctant 'okay', before shuffling off to the offices. 

He nearly got there, backpack on, red coat dusted off and leather gloves replaced with another set, but stopped by the front door, looking out to Konoha, snow gently falling down, adding to the snow on the ground.

He didn't do anything wrong, he was sure of it, so why should he get in trouble? It was Nakamura who'd been taunting him, he deserved it!

Normally, family would come to pick up students and take them home, but today, with lips set in a determined line, he wouldn't be sitting and waiting for a lecture. He would walk home. Screw Aburame-sensei and screw Nakamura.

He went out the door, ignoring the head office.


	2. The Boy, Badly Named

He didn't go straight home.

Perhaps he'd been too angry over the injustice, or maybe he was just scared. Shina and Shizu and the others never got into trouble when they were young, so as far as he knew, he'd been the first to get sent to the office. He didn't want to be the problem child in the Uchiha Clan. In his child-logic, he'd supposed that maybe Aburame-sensei wouldn't call his parents if he wasn't there, Sensei would get in trouble too if that happened. 

He wandered for quite some time (if he got home too soon, Papa would know something was up), until it was the end of the school day. Everyone else would be going home right now, so it wasn't suspicious for him to go home too. 

Suzu, Suizen's year-younger sister, was sitting with the family cat Kiyo in the living room when he got back. "Where is everyone?" He asked as he sat next to her, setting down his bookbag on the short table.

"Out," She replied simply, scratching behind the cat's ears. "Looking for you. Aburame-san called earlier and told Mama and Papa what you did."

"It wasn't my fault." Suizen said, pouting slightly. "They said it was-"

"Full contact, I heard." She said. "If it helps, I don't think they're mad you knocked a kid out cold, they're mad you left without telling anyone. If anything, they're more mad at Shizu-Nii and Shina-Nee for teaching you the chalkra focusing technique before Mama thought you were ready."

"...It wasn't their fault, either." Suizen said softly, flopping to the floor. "I asked them to teach me, I begged them..."

"They taught you to fight like them, so you fought like them and sent a kid into the hospital." 

Fury sparked in his gut again as he shot back up into a sitting position. "He said I was weird!" He said defensively. "Not just me, either! Anybody with pink hair, including you and Mama and-"

She interrupted him. "Has it ever occurred to you that we're weird to begin with? Pink hair aside." 

He paused, staring at her. She didn't bother to look up, like she always did. Her eye sight was poor and beyond even Mama's medical expertise, so she rarely, if ever, looked at the people she spoke to. "Look at us; The last of a dying clan, me blind, two sets of multiples in the same generation, Sarada's in line for Hokage, Shizu and Shina have plans to restart the Uchiha Police Force by the time they're 16, Mama hasn't missed a day of work ever, even before and after giving birth, Papa's one of the most feared Shinobi in the world but just yesterday he was chasing Shao around trying to get him to put his pants back on, and you...You kicked a kids' face in for pocket change."

Suizen mumbled in reply. "There was a new set of knifes, too." 

"And a shinys set of knifes." She added as an afterthought.

He sighed deeply, putting a cheek to the short table and looking away. "I don't get it..."

"Get what?"

"Isn't it...good? Being strong. Everyone tries to be stronger, but when I show them how strong I am...I get in trouble."

"The deck is stacked against us from the start," Suzu lifted the fat calico by it's paws, it's tummy facing Suizen. "After what Uncle did and what Papa tried to do, nobody's going to trust an Uchiha." The cat meowed, ear's twitching as Suzu pushed out her claws and swiped at her brother. "Try to be too talented at a young age, and everybody's going to think you'll be next to betray the village."

"That's dumb." Suizen reached for the cat, lifting it from Suzu's hands. 

"That's the truth, even Papa said so."

"Liar." Scoffed the boy, scratching Kiyo's head as the fat, elderly cat purred.

"Even ask him yourself, once he get's through yelling at Shi-Nee and Shi-nii." Suzu smirked.

* * *

As Suzu predicted, Shina and Shizu were more on the hook for his little mess up than Suizen was. (Their punishment was sitting on their ankles in the kitchen for an hour, every day for the next week. If it ever happened again with the younger children, an extra hour and week would be added until Papa couldn't legally punish them anymore.)

Papa had reamed the school teachers for being reckless when they started the whole thing, 'full-contact' meant full-contact, and that meant different things for students of different levels. From then on, Suizen would be sparring with older students who could put up more of a fight (and not be horrifically injured in the process).

Suizen felt a strange little pit in his stomach when he heard about that. After some thought, he supposed he did go a little over-board...

When he mentioned it to Mama though, she was quick to dismiss the notion. "If Aburame thinks he can get away with allowing kids full-contact and get mad that my kids are stronger than average, he's got another thing coming." She grumbled, still peeved over the whole ordeal.

He went to sleep that night, feeling guilt gnaw at his stomach.

* * *

The next day, as he was dropped off by Shina and Shizu, Suizen couldn't help but notice something was...off.

His classmates seemed to be ignoring him. The morning was spent taking notes with a quiz at the end, and Akahana hadn't tried to cheat off him like usual. At lunch, Fai didn't offer to trade her strawberry Mochi for his red bean paste buns like they usually did.

For the first few days, he thought he was imagining it, it wasn't until friday, the last day before the weekend and the day they worked on practical fighting in the yard, did he realize that it had been intentional.

He'd been taken from his own classmates and given to another teacher for a higher grade, and he'd be sparring against students a year older than him, and who were considerably heavier and taller than him.

He stood among the taller, older students, watching the fight with his sharingan activated, copying moves he thought might be useful.

Across the circle, he saw a group of three girls. They were pointing and whispering to each other. He spotted them, and his sharingan picked up their lip movements.

The first girl whispered. "That's him, right? The one who made spring come early?" He wasn't usually nosey, but he'd just so happened to accidentally tune in as they were saying some strange things, and had to keep listening to satisfy his curiosity...Or, at least that's what he told himself.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The second one questioned. 

The third smacked the second on the arm with a giggle. "You're so slow! Spring came early!" What? It was still freezing out...

"I heard that flowers fell last week!" The first whispered with a sly smile. Flowers?

"Oh, I get it." The second said in realization. "I heard about that. Uchiha's really are amazing, huh?" That didn't sound much like a compliment...

"Yeah," The third replied with a whispered laugh. "Strong, like monsters."

Suizen's heart clenched hard in his chest. Monsters...was he a monster to them? He didn't take his eyes off them as they continued to talk.

"Did you hear what the name?" The third asked.

"Name?" The first questioned.

"What everyone's calling him. Red Spring Devil." The third replied.

"Cause of the blood on the snow?" Aasked the second.

"Yeah! Mom said to avoid fighting him. He probably wouldn't care about hitting woman." Laughed the third.

"Uchiha's will be Uchiha's." Sighed the first, shrugging with a smirk.

The blood...He made flowers fall, and spring come early.

He bit his lower lip, gloved fists tightening. Fai was probably told to stay away too. And Akahara, and Hiru and Yuichi... Stay away from the monster, the Red Spring Devil or else he might punch your teeth into your brain and get his parents to blame the school for your death.

He felt tears bite at the corner of his eyes, but he didn't feel sad. He wasn't sure what he was feeling. Some potent combination of rage, frustration and fury that made his heart beat hard in his chest, his knuckles ache, his shoulders tense and his blood feel like lead beneath his skin.

As someone was finally set in front of him, a typical, smirking Hyuuga from the main family, Suizen felt that fury come to a head.

If they wanted a devil, he'd show them a goddamn devil.

* * *

He didn't bother trying to storm out this time.

To her credit, the Hyuuga hadn't been hospitalized after their bout, and they'd been sent to the office together after he broke her nose while she cracked one or two of his ribs. The teacher was in the office, making his calls to the parents. 

"For a kid, you're pretty good." She said, head tilted back and voice made funny by the tissue stuffed up her nostrils.

"For a Hyuuga, you're pretty sucky." Suizen grumbled in return, slumping in his chair as much as his ribs would allow. "Anybody else would've gone for the chest and broke my sternum."

"It's a _school_ fight, Uchiha." Huffed the girl. "There's a reason why we're in the office, breaking bones-"

"Yeah, yeah. Breaking bones is bad. What _ever_."

The girl slowly set her head upright, glancing side-ways to the shorter boy while still holding the tissue in place. "So...You're really not joking?"

"About what?" He raised an eyebrow, looking to her.

"You're...whole deal. That's really how you fight, and you were really trying to hurt me." Even muffled by the tissue, she sounded incredulous.

"That's why they call me the devil, isn't that right?" He rolled his eyes, going back to staring straight ahead.

There was a noticeable pause in her breath, before she looked away. "Oh...so you've heard?"

"Yeah, I heard." He said, sounding equal parts resigned and saddened. 

For a few, blessed moments, the Hyuuga girl was quiet. "I...it's not that bad, you know. I mean, that's a pretty fearsome name! The Red Spring Devil!"

He turned his back to her, leaning on the bench and very determinedly  _not_ replying. The girl, seeing this, deflated slightly. An apology was at the tip of her tongue, but was quickly forgotten as her parents came storming in.

She was pulled into the office with them, and Suizen could hear them from his spot on the bench, yelling at the teacher for putting their precious daughter up against him. "He has no restraint! Did you see what he did to that other kid?! I want that brat expelled for what he did!!"

Mama and Papa came not too long after the Hyuuga's finished up and left. Papa knelt on the bench, speaking softly to Suizen as Mama went in with the teacher.

"Sui-chan, what happened now?" He asked softly. "This isn't like you. One issue is a fluke but..."

Faced with the earnest concern of his father, he broke down almost immediately. "They made a name for me...Papa, they're calling me a devil, cuz I...cuz of what I did. And they're...they're not just calling pink-haired people weird anymore, they..." He hiccuped, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Papa, they said I was a monster cuz I'm an Uchiha..."

Sasuke pulled his son close, squeezing him tightly with his real arm and his prosthetic. His son sobbed into his sweater, trembling in his hold.

"Go get your things." Said Sasuke just as his wife came out of the office, kissing the top of his son's head. "We'll have a talk about this later." 

Suizen nodded, his wet cheeks with his shirt sleeve. 

He turned back into the school, walking at a slow pace as he trundled back to his class. By now, everybody else would've already heard about what happened.

He went to the cubby holes right outside his class, taking his outdoor shoes, coat and bag. He was almost back to the main entrance, going down the hall of empty indoor dojo's, when he heard someone call him.

"Hey! Uchiha-kun!"

He looked up, seeing that Hyuuga girl again. Short, coffee-coloured hair, milk white eyes, bruised nose and all. "What d'you want?" He asked, sounding bitter as he, again, wiped at his eyes just to make sure that he still wasn't crying.

"Your name, for one." She said, holding out a hand to him. "We've never formally met. I'm Hyuuga Mahiru, third daughter."

He looked at her, suspicious but not willing to be impolite, even in his worst of moods. "Uchiha Suizen, second son."

An older, female voice was heard from down the hall. "Ma-chan!"

"Coming, Kaa-san!" Mahiru called behind her. She stepped up to the younger, pulling his hood up over his head, covering his pink hair. "I just wanted to tell you that...I don't think you're a devil, Uchiha-kun."

"Mahiru!" The voice called again, sounding a lot closer. 

The girl turned Suizen back around, so his back was facing her. "I'm here, I'm here!" She called, going back down the hall to her mother.

Suizen glanced back, seeing the Hyuuga woman and Mahiru meet in the hall. 

"Who's that kid?" Asked Mahiru's mother.

"A friend." The girl said simply.

Hood still over his head, he went back to the front doors. 

"Ready, Sui-chan?" Asked his mother, holding out her hand to him, his father doing the same.

"Yeah." He said, taking hold of both as they walked out of the school.


	3. The Boy, Cursed

"I'm sorry, Suizen." Were the first words out of Sasuke Uchiha's mouth, as he faced his young son on the walk home.

Mama had to go back to work as soon as she could, so it was just them as they went down the memorized path. People around them milled about, passing by as they went about their business.

"I dunno what you have to apologize for," Suizen mumbled, feeling tired and grumpy as he toddled along side his father.

Sasuke reached for him, lifting him and carrying him with his flesh and blood arm. "I've never tried to hide what I did from you kids. I promised myself that I wouldn't let my kids hear from other people about my crimes, and what the Uchiha did."

Of course. Grandpa attempted a Coup D'etat, Uncle had to stop them by destroying the clan, and Papa tried to destroy the village, tried to become the unifying enemy for all Shinobi nations. He heard the story before he was five, before even his fellow students learnt about the Shinobi Wars in class.

"But...I hadn't expected what would come of it, after I failed." He said softly as he walked along. "I hadn't been there for the first half of Sarada's life, but I was there for Shina, Shiro and Shizu. People don't like me much anymore, or your mother for associating with me. A lot of people think she could've done much better than me."

"D'you think that too?" Asked Suizen softly, head resting on his father's shoulder, arms around his neck.

"Of course I do. But that stubborn, annoying woman refused to let go." Despite himself, Sasuke chuckled lowly. "And there's no telling how grateful I am to her for that. The point is...our family hasn't been looked with a good light in a long time. Not since I first left when I was 12, and it's only gotten worse since then. When I left, I was just a sad little boy who had no guiding light, no mother to cry to, no father to turn to...All I had was my team, and we'd been drifting apart for months. I sold my soul to the devil, and to regain it again took an act of redemption so large that I ended up helping establish a peace that lasted almost 25 years now, and I'm still paying for that mistake today. Something I had never thought happened though...even you and all your siblings are paying for my mistakes, too."

Suizen's brow furrowed in confusion. He didn't understand...

"Shina and Shizu went through what you're going through now. In their class, they were 'monsters' because their father is a monster. When your classmates first learn about the Uchiha, the first thing they hear is  that I'm a traitor or murderer that tried to destroy Konoha, and was only pardoned for my crimes because the Hokage was my old teacher."

"You're not a monster, Papa." Suizen said softly, clinging to Sasuke just a little tighter. "Or a murderer or any of that..."

"I'm glad you think that, but...not everybody does. Suizen, because of what mistakes I've made, you have to be kinder and more selfless than any of your classmates, and try to shake off this curse I left you. And for that, I'm sorry. If you had been a Hyuuga, or an Uzumaki or a Nara or even a Haruno, you'd be praised for your skill and power. But...you're an Uchiha, and a strong Uchiha is considered a dangerous, traitor-in-the-making, like your uncle, like your grandfather, and...like me. That's why I'm sorry, Suizen."

"I can do that." Suizen was quiet. "I can be kind, and selfless. I can show everyone that Uchiha's aren't bad." He said it almost like a promise. 

Sasuke set his son down, just in front of the doors to the house. "Sarada, Shina and Shizu made that promise too, but it isn't that simple."

Simple? Be kind. It was the most simple thing Suizen could imagine. He listened to his father, waiting for more instructions.

"If you're too kind, people will mistake that for weakness and they'll walk all over you. Don't be kind enough, and they'll think you're cruel and unfeeling. There's a balance you have to strike, and that's a balance even I'm still trying to find." Sasuke leaned close, kissing the top of Suizen's head. "I wish I could tell you how to find it, but it's beyond my ability." 

Suizen stood, eyes closed as he thought. "I can do it." His voice full of conviction. "I'll show you, Papa. I'll figure out how to be kind and selfless, and then I'll teach you."

"That sounds like a plan, Suizen." Sasuke smiled, flicking his son's forehead. "I look forward to that day."

* * *

"We're sorry." 

Talking with his twin siblings started out much like how talking with his father had started.

Suizen had been training alone in Raven's Wood Forest, an area of about 30 acres of land for the Uchiha Family's personal use, when both pink-haired 12 year olds came to him. 

Suizen lowered the Windmill Shuriken, facing them both. "I've been hearing that a lot lately." He mentioned as he sat back on a near-by stump. "Is there a reason why you're sorry?"

"We heard, about the...demon thing, the name." Said Shizu, the currently shorter male twin of the set.

"Devil, not demon." Corrected Suizen with a resigned sigh, slumping slightly.

"Whatever they're calling you, it's our fault." Shina said softly, stepping forward and kneeling in front of her younger brother. "If we hadn't-"

"Taught me anything, I wouldn't have broken the rules and I wouldn't have been in trouble, I know, I know." The younger said, head tilting back and forth. "It seems strange that I'm not allowed to take any responsibility here, it's not like you guy's were making me do anything."

"It's not just that, kid." Shizu sighed, tapping his knuckles on his younger brother's head. "We thought...If you were stronger, you wouldn't be bugged so much like we were. You start learning about the wars in class at your age, and, well...Shina and I have been there. And we had each other to rely on but...You were the only one born in your year. You don't have a sibling in your class like we did or like Sayaka and Seiji do. You have to defend yourself."

"We're monsters too, and we didn't even have to break any bones to have that title, Sui-chan." Shina's voice was soft. "The fan on our backs makes us a target, all of us."

"Suzu-chan, Sayaka-chan, Seiji-chan, and even Sora, Shao, Suoh and Saizo." Added Shizu sadly. "We're Uchiha, so we have to fight twice as hard to get the same level of trust as everyone else."

Suizen looked up at his brother and sister. "So...what do I do then? Papa said that...I should be kind, and selfless, to make everyone see that Uchiha's aren't...evil, but you guy's don't-"

"We do." Said Shizu. "Charity, random acts of kindness, volunteering...all that stuff, we do it but we do it secretly."

"Why in secret?" Asked Suizen, head lifting. He'd never noticed them being particularly kind to anyone.

"Because, if we announced our good deeds, then that makes them ring false." Shina explained. "If you told everyone 'I'm an Uchiha and I'm doing good', then everyone would end up thinking you're only doing good to make the family look better, and that's not much of an improvement."

"A good deed done for selfish reasons isn't a good deed at all." The ever-so-wise Shizu said, chin lifted proudly. "So, do your good things in secret, and do them because you want to be kind and improve the world, not to improve your image."

Shina held tight to Suizen's shoulders, keeping him still. "The village is going to think whatever they want, so there's no point in trying to change that. The world's never going to forget what the Uchiha have done and nobody in your class is going to forget what you did, so...instead of fighting the devil everyone thinks you are, embrace it."

"Wear the Devil's skin like armor." Intoned Shizu. "Carry the Red Spring like a sword so it can never be your weakness, and instead make it your weapon."

"It's a fearsome name..." Suizen mumbled softly, remembering what Mahiru said earlier. "If...I accept it, prove it right even, then..."

"Less people will want to fight you." Shina's tones were soft, sympathetic. "It's a strategy Nee-sama taught us. Be cold, be scary, and you'll hurt less people. If anybody tries and climb the wall you build around yourself, then those people are your comrades. You live and die for those people."

"Like your teammates and your teacher? Like what Chocho and Boruto is to Nee-Sama?" Asked the younger.

"Exactly." Both twins said in unison.

Could he though? Could he become the Red Spring Devil for real? Earnestly try to project such a...terrifying persona? Whether he could or couldn't wasn't much of a debate, everyone thought he was some ruthless fighter. If smashing a jaw and breaking a nose was enough to establish the devil, then...It would be a simple task to continue it, wouldn't it? 

He nodded. "Okay. I'll do my best."

Both twins pulled him into a tight hug. "Don't worry, Sui-chan. We'll be here for you when things' get rough." Suizen wasn't sure which twin said it. Maybe both had. 

 


	4. The Boy, Monsterous

He was still a 'monster'. He was the son a 'monster', so he too must be a 'monster'.

But, despite that, the young Uchiha found himself caring less and less. He knew he was a decent person, and that's all that mattered. He put chocolate in Jun's shoes when he looked like he was having a miserable day. He traded his homemade lunch for Karako's cheap, store-bought bento when he'd heard her complaining about how she missed having home-made lunches. He dropped coins in places where younger kids could find them, and he bought extra milk to put into random cubby holes in the halls.

Suizen Uchiha was still the Red Spring Devil among his classmates but if he was going to be labeled a devil, then he was at least going to be a nice devil, even if nobody ever noticed his secret kindnesses or connected him to those little, life-brightening moments in people's' days. 

But Mahiru Hyuuga was right about something. It was a fearsome name, and that meant many people were much more wary about fighting him (even if it wasn't a full-contact, school-sanctioned battle), which he was grateful for. After the last few weeks, he was more than happy to pull back on his fighting.

Nakamura, the first boy he'd fought and whose jaw he'd broken, returned to school after a month of having his jaw wired shut and having teeth replaced. By then, Suizen had been moved one grade up with his usual sparring class, and was with Mahiru Hyuuga more often than not.

If she saw him as a devil, or as a ruthless fighter, she didn't show it or reject him for it. She was one of the few willing to talk to him after their incident, when his title as the Devil was solidified.

In fact, against her mother's wishes, she spoke to him almost daily, and seemed to more enjoy his company. His old friends in his old class made no attempt to reconcile, so Mahiru's presence was more than welcome.

It wasn't long before she was trading half her dango for his red bean buns.

"If you hate bean buns so much, why do you always have them?" She asked one day as she happily chomped one of the offending buns in half.

"I have a big family," He explained, his own mouth half-full. "Four sisters and six brothers, and my dad makes all our lunches every morning so he doesn't bother to remember what we like and don't like."

"Wow, that's a lot of kids." Mahiru chuckled. "Guess the world needed more Uchiha's."

"Mom thought so." Suizen shrugged. "But then again, Dad's the one at home trying to teach four little kids that setting the curtains on fire is not how you cook hot dogs."

Mahiru couldn't stop the laugh that came, nearly choking on her bun as she struggled for breath.

* * *

_**2 years later - 14 years after Uchiha Sasuke returned** _

_"Target at 8 o'clock, Uchiha."_ He heard Mahiru whisper through the microphone.

 _"Winds moving north-north-east, target is downwind."_ Lai added, in equal whisper.  _"Let's not screw this up."_

Suizen was crouched, hidden under a low-hanging canopy. He wore the usual attire of his family, a Chinese-styled red changshan shirt, (cotton cloth that went from his right and was tied across his left breast and at his throat) with arm guards made of hard and light-weight ceramic plates that went from his elbow to his knuckles (with the leather, fingerless gloves beneath expected of all Uchiha Sakura's children), and grey pants that stopped and tightened just bellow his knees, along with the prerequisite medpack on strapped on his belt, a knife-holster on his thigh, and his forehead-protector worn on top his dark pink head, ear-to-ear much like his mother.

'Slow' was a mild way of putting how fast he was moving along the tree, watching their prey just a few branches bellow. They'd been at this for almost four full hours and this was as close as they'd gotten that entire time.

His inherited eyes watched her move, Suizen was barely breathing and not daring a blink as he silently slid to one branch bellow, making serious effort to not rustle the leafs. 

A breath of wind blew by, and he had to bite back a curse when it blew the exact  _wrong_ way, sending his scent towards her and making her head lift up in caution. He stilled, stiff as a statue. 

She was a beautiful creature, surely, and young too. Hair as white as snow, covered in dried mud and dirt. Eyes, almost as red as Suizen's, looked around, fearful and scared of returning to her owner. There, on her forehead, was the sign she was the right one. A perfect black dot rested between her eyes and nose. 

Their eyes met, and in the instant she froze, he moved.

Quick as a cat, he launched himself at her on the ground. She squealed, panicked as she tried to run for cover when his feet hit the grass. She went left, and Lai, who'd jumped from above, landed in front of her, her arms open to grab her. But Lai was too slow, and the creature made a sharp turn to the right.  His eyes tracked her, and he saw Mahiru under one of the bushes, ready to jump out to scare the poor thing, Suizen went straight on, seemingly by-passing them entirely.

The Hyuuga girl lurched out, arms reaching for the white animal. It wheeled back, bolting left again and passing by directly in front of the Uchiha. 

He reached, grabbing her by the ears and then the legs to prevent her from kicking. "Grab the box, grab the box!!" He shouted at Lai, struggling to keep the wormy little thing in his hold.

Lai, a long-haired Nara girl, grabbed the box and opened it. Suizen shoved the rabbit into the box and slammed the door shut. 

"Shirokuro, captured!!" Declared Mahiru, only just managing to get out of her hiding place.

"If we ever have to recount this, let's all agree that it took considerably less time." Suizen asked, plucking a few leaves out of the taller girls' hair.

"Agreed." Both said, sounding equality exhausted and elated. Suizen took the pet crate and carried it back.

The three of them, Team 4, reported to their sensei, Shikayu Nara, who was an older, distant cousin of Lai. They hadn't realized how far they'd gotten in an attempt to catch the damn rabbit and the walk there took a bit longer than expected.

"Man, I am so  _hungry_!" Bemoaned Mahiru, slouched slightly. "We missed lunch, didn't we?"

"By a long shot." Said Lai with a laugh. "Where should we make Shika-sensei treat us? I was thinking burgers and fries."

"I'm more in the mood for sit-down BBQ." Mahiru offered up. She noticed Suizen's silence. She stopped and glanced back at him. He'd stopped dead in his tracks. "Something up, Sui-kun? You're a tie-breaker here."

"We missed lunch..." He said, suddenly looking grave. "By  _how_ much exactly?"

Nara glanced at her phone clock. "It's...2 O'clock. Why?"

"Take the rabbit!" He said, alarmed as he shoved the cage into Mahiru's arms. "I'll talk later, have fun!!" 

The two girls were left in the dust, confused as Suizen rushed away.

"What do you think he forgot?" Asked Lai, side-glancing to the Hyuuga.

"Knowing him, any number of things." Sighed Mahiru with a shrug. "Major Airhead strikes again."


	5. The Boy, Singing

The girls went back alone and they delivered Shirokuro to her owners, a very excited, affectionate young girl probably too young to own a rabbit and her over-indulgent mother, but Shika-sensei refused to treat them if they were only two.

She, apparently, was stressing the importance of rewarding the team as a whole. (Lai thought that maybe she was just being cheap.)

Shika-sensei made a deal. She'd buy all three burgers and fries, but they had to deliver Suizen's portion and eat together. 

Fast-food in hand, the girls went off to the Uchiha home, an old styled mansion near the wall of the village, and close to a forest, which was tagged as 'Raven's Wood' on most maps. It was technically a public training ground, but almost everyone had been advised against going there to train due to the infestation of Uchiha children (and their tendency to burn, electrocute and smash things out of existence).

Mahiru's arms were loaded with three portions of greasy deliciousness, so it was Lai who had to knock on the door. 

There was no answer, which was odd in of itself. Suizen's family was unbelievably large, with six brothers and four sisters, it wasn't often that there was  _nobody_ home.

She knocked again, a little harder. Again, no answer. "Family matter?" Suggested Mahiru. "Maybe that's why he rushed off."

Lai shook her head. "No...even Major Airhead wouldn't forget that. Family duty is at the forefront of his mind."

The Nara reached for the door, brow furrowing when it opened. Not locked. "Come on, let's see if he's here."

"This seems a lot like breaking and entering." Said Mahiru, looking a bit nervous. 

"We're shinobi, that's what we do." Said Lai, stepping in. "And we didn't even break anything."

Mahiru reluctantly followed. 

At the front door, there were stairs to the left and a hallway leading to the main common areas of the house, the kitchen, dining rooms, living rooms, what-have-yous. Upstairs were the bedrooms.

They got into the kitchen, Mahiru setting down her load onto the stone counter. Lai paused, whispering to Mahiru. "Do you hear that?" 

She paused, listening intently to what, at first, seemed like silence. It was a voice and a song, upbeat, bouncy, somewhere deep inside the massive house. Mahiru's moon-white eyes went wide, a wide grin spreading across her face. Lai was quick to put a hand over her mouth in an attempt to quiet her. She put a finger to her lips, and motioned her to shush.

 _"Hey, Mr. Music_  
Let time around us freeze  
Hey Mr. Music  
Please cast your magic on me! _"_  The girls crept up, careful on their toes. Mahiru had her phone out, recording a video, as they slid along in their socks. His music was louder here, he was close. "Come on, Sa-chan! Dance, dance!!" They heard him say.

 **"Show me if you dream**  
The love we're falling in  
Like our brand new spark  
I'll keep on movin'! **"**  A little voice was heard laughing, and the sound of bare feet slapping against a bare floor were followed quickly after. "There you go! Just like that! Keep goin'!"

 ** _"All the warmth you gave me_**  
**Burning deep within**  
**As you pull me close,**  
**I'll keep on groovin'"**  Mahiru peeked in, her phone just a little bit ahead of her. She saw that familiar, cherry-pink head standing in the middle of what looked to be an indoor dojo, his back to them and the door as he shook his hips and danced, a little girl, whose pink-haired head barely at his hip, danced beside him, doing her best to copy him as he moved. The song was playing on a laptop on the floor near-by.

They were almost in perfect sync, which was strange considering how fast they were moving. Feet shifting their weight, arms flailing in specific motions. She even copied the hip motions. 

Mahiru couldn't hold it in, she burst out laughing just as they finished their dances with a flourish. 

Suizen nearly jumped out of his skin, reacting immediately and on instinct. He turned on his heel, arm held out and, under his ceramic arm guards, they heard the sound of senbon whistling through the air. 

Lai and Mahiru had to jump out of the way, hearing the sound of a senbon launcher clicking more than seeing the actual senbon flying and landing with only the slightest 'snt' in the drywall behind them.

The little girl squeaked, jumping to hide behind Suizen's legs.

"The hell are you two doing here?" He said, trying to be calm and quiet despite the obvious displeasure written on his face, going to kneel and pick up the young girl, who nuzzled close and hugged his neck tight.

"Shika-sensei sent us." Said Lai, squished flat beneath Mahiru.

"She wanted us to share our lunch, even if you were busy." Added Mahiru, rolling off the more slender girl and coming to a stand. "Why didn't you tell us you had a little sister? I love kids!" Mahiru bent over, taking a closer look at the girl, though she kept her head tucked in the crook of Suizen's neck.

"She isn't my little sister, she's my niece." He said, shifting her weight a little to try and make it a bit more comfortable.

"Wait, so..." The only Uchiha who was of an age to have children was Sarada, who was married to Bolt Uzumaki. "This is Hokage-sama's Granddaughter?!" 

"Satomi is equal parts Hyuuga, Uchiha, Uzumaki and Haruno." Said Suizen as the girl nuzzled closer to him. "She's a Princess."

It was only then Satomi Uchiha dared to glance at Suizen's team. Satomi had bright pink hair like Lady Uchiha, with the pale white skin of Uchiha-sama, a single set of lines on either cheek like Nanadaime Hokage, and pale white eyes of a Hyuuga, eyes that looked up at Mahiru.

"Amazing..." Breathed the Hyuuga, holding out a hand to the girl. "Hello there, Satomi-hime! I'm Mahiru, we're related!"

Satomi quickly went back to hugging Suizen despite the offered hand. "She's shy." Sighed Suizen. "And I'd just gotten her into it, too. You guy's have the worst timing." The pink-haired Uchiha huffed, going back to the kitchen to stop the music.

"What was that anyway? Dance lessons?" Asked Lai, approching. 

"It's just...training." He said quickly, shutting off the laptop. "Copy training, for the sharingan."

Both girls glanced to each other. They knew about the stories, about how sharingan was supposedly first achieved. Mahiru had grown up knowing, learning that while most Hyuuga were born with the ability (and cross-bred Hyuuga like Himawari and Bolt could learn to activate it), the Sharingan was a circumstantial ability to gain. 

When Mahiru was young, she was told by her mother (Who was never a fan of the family after that...incident back at the academy) that Uchiha's gained their eyes after they'd felt unrelenting, unimaginable hatred. Lai had only heard from the family head, Shikamaru Nara, that their dojutsu was activated by some strong loss. A best friend's death that would lead to a desire for revenge which led to an insane amount of power. 

It seemed very unlikely that such a young girl, a bonafide princess of Konoha much like Lady Tsunade before her, could have possibly gone through such tragedy so young in her life. It was far more likely she was a Byakugan user than a Sharingan, due to her eyes already being white as the moon.

Lai was first to voice this. "I don't buy it." She said, eyes narrowed. 

"Well, it's the truth. Whether or not you 'buy' it doesn't particularly matter to me." He said, straightening himself. "You said there was food? Come on, I'm hungry."

Lai raised her hands in apparent surrender, going back towards the kitchen. Satomi tugged on Suizen's pants, whispering to him quietly before he led her out as well, leaving Mahiru alone in the large, empty dojo with Suizen's laptop, which she happily began to peruse.

"Yo, Suizen!" Mahiru heard Lai shout from the kitchen. "Where's you microwave, these fries are like cardboard!!"

"It's in the appliance cupboard!" He shouted back.

"Where?! There's literally dozens of cupboards here!!"

"Just a sec, I'll show you!" The Uchiha replied, jogging down the hall a moment later.

Mahiru heard the sound of the floor creaking. The Uchiha home was relatively new for a house, and had been outfitted with all that a Shinobi home could have, purposefully and subtly noisy floors as well, so Uchiha-Sama and his wife could tell when their kids were trying to be sneaky and get in after curfew.

The girl looked up from the laptop, and smiled. The pink haired girl looked strange, surely. There was no such colouring in the Hyuuga main family, the most exodic color had been the previous Lady Hyuuga, Hanabi and Hinata's mother, though it had long faded to grey in her old age.

The girl's feet were bare, and when Mahiru saw her she took another step back, half hiding behind the door frame wall.

Near-identical white eyes met. The older of the two smiled slightly. "So, you like dancing?" She asked across the gap.

Satomi nodded slightly, her face almost as pink as her hair. 

"Who taught you?" 

Her voice was small, barely above a whisper. "Uncle did..."

"You've got a lot of uncles." Mused Mahiru. "Was it this one? The one I know?" 

Again, Satomi nodded slightly from the distance, slowly sliding out. 

"Is he a good teacher?"

"Uncle Shizu said dancing would help..." Satomi stepped out a little more. "I don't...move very well."

"Clumsy?" Asked Mahiru with a little smile. "Yeah, me too. My mama made me take dancing lessons too, but mine were a lot less fun than yours."

"It...It is  _really_ fun." A smile graced that adorable face, that shy expression softening. "Uncle Sui is really good. Aunt Saya makes fun of him though, cuz he shakes his butt a lot when he does dishes." 

Mahiru burst out laughing, and Satomi's smile only grew.

"Is it your training?" Asked Mahiru, the girl slowly inching closer like a wary deer. "Do you copy him?"

"We dance a lot, together." Said Satomi, fiddling with the ends of her dress. "I know how he moves, he does routines a lot...It's easy to learn and copy. He doesn't like doing it like normal people, random-like." She said, going stepping on her toes, twisting slightly so her other foot ghosted above the clean wood floor. "I like it though, randoming."

"Randoming..." Mahiru tested the not-an-actual-word on her lips, watching her move. "Tell me, when you random, do you always do that? Spin?"

"Yes, I like it." She said, a smile gracing her lips as she, again, gracefully twisted her body and shifted her weight. "I like the circles."

This was a Hyuuga, despite her name. Those practiced routines and moves Suizen was doing earlier with Satomi weren't sharingan training, it was him trying to get Satomi out of her shell a bit. A Hyuuga's movements were like circles and cycles, shifting weight and fluidity. Uchiha's, from personal experience, were stronger, hard-hitting and far more rigid. 

Uchiha's liked routines, Hyuuga's liked patterns.

It was impossible for Satomi to have the sharingan, Suizen just liked to dance and sing with his niece. "Would you like to see how I dance?" Asked Mahiru, standing.

"Please." Was Satomi's reply.

And that's how Suizen found them, practicing the forms for the Gentle Fist Technique, which Satomi thought was Mahiru's dancing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to completely ignore the new Boruto Manga because it messed with my pretty peaceful headcanon and I like retaining my vision.
> 
> Seeing the Hokage Monument in crumbles makes my heart hurt.


	6. The Boy, Dancing

Knowing what they knew, glimpses of Suizen were easier to come by. Maybe he felt closer to them after being caught, or maybe he just stopped bothering to shut himself up when his teammates were around now that they did know, but it yielded some interesting results.

Suizen, without the need to censor himself, sang quite regularly. Most often folk songs or nursery rhymes when they were waiting for Shika-Sensei or humming when they were studying together.

Baby-sitting became remarkably easier, too. Most of Suizen's songs were lullaby's, meant for his little brothers and sister that were welcomed by many of their charges.

His old reputation as the Devil was still strong and on-going, but it seemed...cushioned by his apparent love of music, or at least added another dimension to his supposedly ruthless personality. Occasionally, Mahiru would sense people, most often girls, standing at a distance during their babysitting missions, listening in as Suizen hummed, rocked and sang to toddlers and babies alike.

A demon with a soft spot for children? It was intriguing for curious girls, many of whom had been told to stay away by their parents.

It felt strange to be watched, stranger still knowing that those watchers had come to see her friend. Mahiru had thought she masked it well enough...But, it seemed Lai had taken notice.

"You don't like it." She mentioned once they and their male teammate had parted, he find his brother and run errands and them back to their homes. "The girls who follow us."

"And you do?" She scoffed, rolling her moonwhite eyes. "It's creepy. Stalkerish."

"It's annoying, not anything worth getting your panties in a twist." 

"My panties are very much  _un_ twisted, I will have you know." The Hyuuga informed matter-of-factly.

"Really? Cause it seems pretty bunched up from where I stand." Lai returned with a knowing smirk.

"What makes you say that?" Mahiru asked, if only for curiosity's sake.

"You try extra hard to keep the brat's from crying, I assume so Suizen doesn't have to use his trump card." 

"Isn't that out job?" Asked Mahiru with a raised eyebrow. "Keep them from crying?"

"We're supposed to keep them alive and breathing. Happy is never stated in the mission requirements." Said Lai, with her own factly tone. "Besides, you've never particularly cared about their needs before. This is new behavior."

"It's weird having fangirls following us around. I don't want them to. The only thing 'new' is the fact Suizen has fricken fangirls!"

"So..." Lai began as they passed the Nara household, pointedly ignoring it as she and Mahiru continued down the street. "You don't like the fangirls or the fact that they're interested in Suizen?"

"Either! Both...? I don't know. It's weird!" Mahiru groaned, not noticing that they'd passed Lai's home as she continued on. "It's...like seeing your little sister date somebody seriously. Part of it just doesn't...register as being real."

 _'Ouch. Not friendzoned or even little brother-zoned, but little sister-zoned. Sorry Sui.'_ Thought Lai. "Sounds like someone's-"

Mahiru pointed a finger at her friend's face. "If you dare suggest what I think you're going to suggest, I will eight-trigram you straight into the hospital!"

Lai looked down at the shorter girl's finger, then back to her white eyes. "You know, denial is the clearest form of confirmation."

The Hyuuga girl huffed, turning back down the street towards the Hyuuga Compound. "I'm not denying anything."

"So you're not denying the fact that you're jealous?!" Shouted Lai as the girl walked away.

"Loaded question!" Mahiru tossed back over her shoulder.

Lai sighed slightly, mouth set in a straight line. This would not do, this would not do...Disharmony among a team, jealousy and possible romance, was a recipe for disaster...

Mahiru kept going, shoulder's tensed only slightly after that frankly annoying exchange. No, she was not jealous. She was just annoyed that idiots came, most likely at the disregard of their studies and training, to tail Suizen (and thus she and Lai) in the minor hopes of hearing him sing a stupid song.

He wasn't even that good!! He goose-honked and croaked at random times because of his cracking voice, and only managed to maintain a consistent note when he was really focusing on it. Of course, the honks made kids laugh and girl's do that weird...blushy smile thing, but all it ever made Mahiru do was burst out laughing!

"Ma-chan, Ma-chan!" 

Mahiru was pulled out of her revere by a familiar voice calling for her. She looked up, seeing a young boy with pastel pink hair, repeated four times. The Uchiha Quadruplets, and her teammate a couple steps behind, trying to keep all four in his sight while paying and attempting to carry an army's worth of take-out food on his own. "Oh, hello there!" She said, a smile crossing her expression as the nine year olds hopped to her side. "Are you going to make me guess again?"

The four nodded in unison, looking up at her expectantly as Suizen, at the register, shouting at his brothers to come back and  _help_.

Mahiru pointed to each of them, left to right. "Saizo, Sora, Suoh, Shao."

From left to right, each Uchiha corrected her. "Sora." "Suoh." "Saizo." "Shao."

"You boy's need tattoos on your forehead or something!" Complained Mahiru with a hard smack to her forehead. "I'll never tell you apart!"

"They're big enough for it!" Said Sora with a laugh. 

"We could be sponsored by someone!" Agreed Shao with a grin.

"Real-life Billboard brows, like Auntie Ino used to tell Mama!" Suoh stuck his tongue out with a cutesy smile.

"Maybe instead of separating us, you should work more on observation." Said Saizo with a victorious smirk.

"Here's how you can tell them apart." Suizen said, suddenly appearing behind the four. Fist upraised, he gave each of his brothers a good hard smack, a lump forming at different spots on their heads. "There, just remember where the head trauma is for each one. Now come back here and help me haul this back to the house!"

"Take-out night?" Asked Mahiru with a laugh. 

"As per a hundred year tradition, according to my Dad." Said the boy with a roll of his eyes, handing out bags to his four little brothers to carry. "You wanna come and help us finish all this? Dad always orders way too much."

"...Sure," She said after a moments thought, holding out a hand to help carry the spoils. "I'll accept anything if it's free."

"Wise choice." Suizen laughed, handing her one of the plastic bags.

 It seemed like take-out had not been the only thing on the five brothers' list. They carried the food, but Suizen was pulling along a large plastic cart, the kind that usually sat a kid, that was almost overflowing with things. Cleaning supplies, batteries, baby milk, some socks, soy sauce, soda pop...and that was only what Mahiru could make out from a glance. It seemed like such a large family ran very large errands.

"You alright, Ma-chan?" Asked one of the four, whose names she'd already mixed up again. "You weren't looking too good when we saw you."

"Of course I'm alright, Sora!"

"I'm Shao!"

"Isn't that what I said?" She asked, head tilting slightly as the four pouted, seemingly annoyed by her forgetfulness.

Suizen laughed, and Mahiru couldn't help but notice something. It was a consistent note, without a honk or croak to be heard. Realizing that made a little worm of unease wiggle a little harder in her belly. 

Dinner with the Uchiha's was always entertaining. Arm wrestles over the best morsels were regular, the quick armed ones often getting their pick first, Lady Uchiha scolding her sons for stuffing their faces too fast, shouts for this dish or that dish to be passed were only barely heard over the loud conversation, discussing the day and the issues there-of, laughs over jokes or funny stories or barely-restrained fury when this brother or that sister went just a touch over the line...

It was a lively affair, to say the least. And, even with Mahiru's help, there were still a lot of left-overs. He really hadn't been lying when he said they ordered too much.

Laying almost comatose on the living room floor with Suizen, bellies full of cheap and satisfying take-out, Suizen only then reminded her of their duties tomorrow. "Didn't we have an early mission?" He asked, head tilting back. 

Mahiru winced, remembering. "Ah, damnit. I completely forgot! We're supposed to go pick those stupid Jofuku herbs tomorrow!" 

"If you leave now, it'll be late by the time you get home." Observed Suizen. "Why don't you just stay here for the night? Sayaka isn't here, you can use her room."

Mahiru flopped onto her front, looking at her friend. "I feel like you planned this."

"If I did?" Suizen smiled slightly, still on his back and looking at her upside down. "You take forever to get up in the morning. I can drag you out of bed if you're closer."

"Jerk." Mahiru had to smile. Clever of him to pull this, and she hadn't even noticed until she was stuffed and beyond rescue. "Guess I'm a hostage of the Uchiha for the night."

"Don't worry, we're very hospitable to our captives." Those bright green eyes of his were lit up, happy as a clam.

She'd told her mother earlier that she was having dinner at a friends house, implying Lai, and all it took was a simple text to get permission to stay the night. It was already late by then, and they did have an early start on the morrow, so she went to curl up in Sayaka-chan's pastel bedroom, comfortable under the flowery-scented quilt. Uchiha-sama chose a very good laundry soap...

Mahiru woke slowly, moonlight filling the room, filtered through the sheer, peach-colored curtains, tongue parched and throat dry. Drowsy, she tossed the covers and slid out of her borrowed bed, intent on finding herself some water. 

She slid, quiet as possible, into the hallway. She was about to head for the stairs, but found herself pausing. Suizen's bedroom door was open. He must've gone to the bathroom, she thought sleepily as she made her way to the kitchen. 

Once there, she filled herself a cup of water and thought she may as well have herself a little midnight snack, taking one of the take-out boxes with fried rice and propping it open on the counter. Alone in the dead silence of the Uchiha home, she drank her water and ate her meal, flipping through posts on her phone.  _'Selfie, selfie (She looks nice with short hair, like), quote by an auntie (obligation like), humble brag (sarcastic comment), nephew status (like), selfie, article (save to read when I'm not tired as balls), no I don't want to make fifty billion Ryo from home, selfie, selfie...'_ she thought as she chewed. 

She stopped however, lowering the phone in her hand when she heard something squeak, and then a voice.  _'Burglers? Who would want to break into the goddamn Uchiha's? Wait, no. That's dumb, a lot of people would, not many of them good people.'_ She reasoned, setting off down the hall where she heard the noise from. She'd scream if she saw anything off, and the fury of fourteen members of a warrior clan would befall whoever dared set food inside their house. (True, the youngest was barely three months old, four of then weren't even Genin yet, and two of them were only just graduating this year, but still! They could definitely pack one hell of a punch...)

She paused, straining to hear another sound, and after a few, very long minutes, heard another, and a voice saying; 'Again.'

Quiet as a corpse, Mahiru laid herself on the floor as flat as she could, and pulled herself forward on her chest. This part of the house, where the indoor Dojo was built, was the shinobi half. Uchiha-sama kept weapons, a library of technique scrolls and books, a 'kind' interrogation room that had half a dozen hidden holes and hollow walls for his children to walk through, and Mahiru knew there were traps hidden all along this stretch of hallway. Silent trip wires, trap doors, possibly even booby traps that could easily draw blood, most of which was activated by hidden pressure plates in the floor. At night, all security was activated, and could only be disarmed by a Sharingan user. (And this was just all the things Uchiha-sama had deigned to tell her in warning, just before allowing her to spend the night for the first time a couple years ago. She knew there had to be more, but had never asked.)

She came to where the sound was loudest ('loudest' being a relative term, the actual sound was closer to a mouse farting in volume), and found herself, once again, at the dojo where she'd first seem Satomi-chan and Suizen dancing together. She peeked in, breath as slow and subtle as possible to mask her noise and chakra suppressed to hide her presence, and saw Suizen, once again, in a dance.

Through the windows on one side, light streamed in, as cold and white as snow, illuminating the figure at the end of the long room with shafts of light. It was Uchiha-sama and his twin son and daughter, teenaged Shina and Shizu at the wings, all three dressed in a sleeping robes and facing the walls, Uchiha-sama at the very back, Shina at the left and Shizu at the right. Suizen, closer to where Mahiru hid but slowly going towards his father and going near his siblings, moved as fluidly as possible. One foot infront of another, crouching with a hand out, hovering over the floor and pausing in places, before going around or over, as if there was something obstructing him. He walked in the shadows, avoiding the light that stretched from the windows where Shina was sitting almost to the opposite wall where Shizu sat.

This dance had no music, no rhythm to his movements, though there was grace in his steps and an attentive audience. Suizen got closer to Shizu, reaching for him from the back, he put a thumb on his neck, and Shizu flopped to the floor and Suizen had to hold him, cushioning his fall and letting him down with barely a sound. He started towards his sister, and did the same to her before going towards his father. But as he neared, in the silence, she heard that sound again. A soft squeak that sounded alarmingly loud in the empty, echoing room. Squeaky floor boards? She'd sparred in that Dojo and had never heard them do that before...

Shizu spoke, clear and emotionless as he and his sister sat back up: "Again."

"Tch..." Suizen's head bowed in frustration, jumping back to the end of the dojo. Mahiru was only a few steps away from him, and she realized that, standing in that empty room, he was just as hidden as she was. Chakra tampered down to match the background, breath as slow and steady as a stream in spring as he tried to cross the room again.

 _'Training,'_ Sudden understanding dawned on her. The dojo floor was rigged to squeak like the floors of a Lord's house, which would alert the guards (shinobi or other) and send them running fight the intruder. The Hyuuga house had something like this in the main family house, but theirs were rigged to sound like night birds calling and could be avoided using the Byakuugan. Only really important people ever bothered with purposefully squeaking floors, and training like this, in the dead of night with natural light sources, Uchiha-sama with his back to his son, his other children falling when Suizen set a finger on their necks... _'Not just training, assassination training...'_  

It felt like her heart fell to join with her stomach as horror overtook her. Suizen was only 13! Yes, he'd made genin at 11 with her and passed the Chunin exams when she and Lai hadn't been able to at 12, but that didn't excuse...Not even the Hyuuga's went this far!

Frozen in her horror, she watched as, at last, Suizen made his way to his father after painstakingly weaving a path through the hidden traps that lay beneath his feet, not making a sound, eyes focused on his father but still keeping an eye on where his feet were. Despite what she thought of this, she couldn't help but admire his skill.

Silent as a shadow, crouching and taking long strides when he could and crawling when he couldn't. Finally, he reached for his father's neck...

Sasuke-sama grabbed his wrist before he could, and somehow, just as quietly, twisted Suizen's arm and forced his son to turn around with his arm held behind his back. Turned around like that, Mahiru could see that in his free arm, the flesh one, Sasuke-sama had a baby bundled, which must've been the newborn, Satoru. Suizen, through this, kept his mouth shut and didn't say a word or let out a sound. "You're getting better, Suizen." Sasuke commended his son, letting go and standing with the stirring baby in his arms. "Maybe next time you'll get here before Satoru starts waking up."

Suizen looked up at his father, kneeling with an arm that was probably incredibly sore. "Thank you." He said, breathing labored now that he was apparently finished. "Can I go now?"

"Go back," Ordered Sasuke. "Show me the path you took to get here."

Suizen nodded, turning his back to his father and backtracking his way to the door where Mahiru was hidden, passing by Shizu and Shina again but bypassing them, until he was near the door. Turning back, he held out his arms in a 'Now?' gesture. 

Sasuke nodded, and he was about to go back...He met Mahiru, laying on the floor and hidden. She looked up at him, moon eyes wide and an apology on her lips, she knew what this looked like. She looked like a Hyuuga spy, befriending Suizen and being invited back regularly. He nodded no, and pressed the side of his heel against a slight outcrop Mahiru hadn't noticed. It looked like nothing, a badly fit piece of baseboard against the wall that stuck out maybe half a centimeter.

Behind her, a door slid open, as quiet as a blink. It was longer than it was tall, obviously meant for those on their bellies like Mahiru. She heard floors squeaking inside the dojo, Uchiha-sama and the twins were getting up and leaving, coming back towards the door. Suizen tilted his head slightly, motioning her to move.

She slid back, and rolled into the hidden door. It closed behind her, and she found herself in the hollow walls she heard about from Suizen. She stood slowly, and found that it was just as tall as the outside. She heard his foot steps, purposely louder than before, and she followed the sound while walking a few steps ahead. She, unfortunately, ran into a wall there. She felt around, but realized that there was nothing else. The hidden room ended here. She was about to shout, panic and claustrophobia rising, until a little square opened up at her feet. She got on all fours and crawled. She found herself in the kitchen again, with Suizen standing beside her as she emerged from the bottom shelf of the appliance closet. 

She was pulled out and stood, looking back with slightly shaking legs. It was on a little roller that was rigged to work with a hidden button (a button so hidden that Mahiru had no idea where it was, even though Suizen was pressing it in front of her), like the irregularity he first pressed in the hall. When he stopped pressing it, the normal shelf slid back into place from the left, holding the box of spare chopsticks and the extra teapot, as if Mahiru had never come out.

"Suizen, you know Mama doesn't like you snacking at ni- Oh." She heard Suizen say in a whisper as he stepped into the dimly lit kitchen. "Good evening, Mahiru-san. Did something wake you?"

She was quick to answer, sounding as casual as could be despite how shaken she felt. "No, I just needed a glass of water, and ended up snacking myself." She said as Suizen, out the corner of her eye, reached for a glass cup from the shelves just beside the appliance closet, stretching up and tip-toeing to reach the glasses due to his short height.

"Relax, Shizu-chan." Said Suizen, calm as can be as he went to the sink to fill his and take a long drink. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Mama isn't here right now.No harm, no foul." He said, smirking as he went to the take out Mahiru had forgotten, taking a chicken ball and popping it into his mouth. "Want some?" He offered his brother the last ball, holding out the box to him.

Shizu sighed a breath from his nose, shaking his head but taking one regardless. "Sure, whatever. Get back to bed, rule-breaker." He chuckled slightly, going back out the kitchen as he ate the chicken ball.

Mahiru looked to her friend, who had his empty glass next to her half-emptied one, eating what was left of that rice. How...? He was so small, so...

Confusion and pity filled her. "Suizen, I-"

"Don't tell anyone." He said, rice stuck to his cheek, his tone suddenly grave. "It's just another lesson, okay? Like dancing or knife-throwing. If you tell anyone,  **he'll** know, and you'll never be able to stay here again."

She set her lips in a hard line, saying nothing as he closed the box, set it back with the others, put his glass in the sink and walked by her on his way out. "Try and get some sleep, Ma-chan. We still have a mission tomorrow." He clapped a hand on her shoulder as he passed.


	7. That Boy, Fighting

That night, her dreams were filled with Sharingan eyes. 

Mahiru saw him standing, armored in shadows, his dark pink hair dyed black and his dark black eyes turned red. Around him, others stood. Shizu and Shina, tall and proud and terrifying, Seiji with Sayaka behind her, with their quadruplet brothers standing crouched above them, like cats getting ready to kill.

Each of them stared at her with those eyes, eyes that could see every move she could possibly make. 

Behind Suizen, two more sets opened. One as green as summer grass, one mismatched; the right was ringed and white, left was a red and black pinwheel. 

This was the Uchiha's as they were decades ago. Strong, ruthless...like demons from hell. The entire family, not just Suizen. She had thought they weren't anymore, she thought...

She was surrounded, and each Uchiha on the floor took steps forward, silent as the stars. 

 _You're going to die._ Some part of her thought, almost mockingly.  _You caught him dancing the Uchiha Dance. You're going to die._

Softly, a voice whispered from the four standing poised above her, a single voice from four different directions.

**"We're so sorry Ma-chan, but you pushed our hands and there's nothing left to do, but _crush_ you."**

_I didn't mean to spy..._ she wanted desperately to say.  _I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spy._

Crushing weight fell on her, the younger's leaping for her, hands and fists outstretched. She gasped, shouting wordlessly, flailing as heat fell on her and bodies landed.

"She's up, she's up!!" She heard a victorious cry through her sleep-muddled haze.

"Pull her out!" Another shouted, and Mahiru realized she was still in the house, in Sayaka's room, with the four pastel haired brothers around her, dragging her out of bed and each carrying one foot or arm and dragging her out of bed and lifting her through the hall. 

She shrieked and pulled at her limbs, but each one was too strong, using learnt chakra strength to keep her firmly in their hold. Seiji, the brother who was one behind Suizen, stuck his head out the door and laughed as she was hauled away. Shina did the same when she heard Mahiru's shrieks, chuckling when they turned into the over-large bathroom, where, to her horror, a bathtub was filled. 

She was then promptly tossed in, head first. 

Sputtering and gasping, she stood in the deep tub as all four ran out, calling out to Suizen and saying that she was up now. 

Over breakfast with the Uchiha's, and after changing out of Sayaka's now-ruined silk sleeping clothes and drying off, she learnt that her darling teammate had failed to wake her up, and charged his four younger brothers with doing it 'by any means necessary', which apparently meant dog-piling her in her bed and dragging her off for an unexpected bath.

The morning's antics had almost completely wiped her memory of her nightmare, but not of what happened the night previous. 

She and Suizen left the Uchiha household with three lunch boxes packed special by Shizu, and were bade a sweet goodbye by his brothers, begging her to come back any time so they could toss her into the bath again.

As soon as they were out of earshot, she tried to talk to him. "Suizen, how long-"

"I'm glad I got you up so early. We might actually be out of the village on time for once!" Suizen cut her off, laughing slightly.

"Sui!" She snapped at him, getting a head of him and holding the shorter boy's shoulders, forcing him to stop. "I'm not going to play this stupid game with you! I know what I saw, that was killers' training! How long have you been training to do that?!"

Any cheerful light that had been in his eyes left the moment she forced them to stop, he looked up at her. "If you must know, not long after I broke your nose."

Back at the academy? how long ago was that? Two...Almost three years ago! Her shock must've registered, because Suizen kept on trying to excuse his father and himself. "Papa said that if I kept going as I did, using strength and pure power to overwhelm, then I'd have to learn another way. His way, so I didn't scare everyone." One hand went to his hair, looking away. "Just drop it, okay? Training helped me even if I never liked it, and that's all there is to it."

Mahiru didn't, couldn't, say anything. Suizen kept walking on towards the gates, and she followed behind him. There was a lot she wanted to say, but not many ways she could say it.  _I'm not scared of you..._ She thought, eyes downcast as she kept behind him. _I've never been. Suizen..._

They met up with Lai and Shika-sensei at the gates, both Nara females congratulating Mahiru on coming this early. 

She managed a smile, and acted as if everything was alright.

Intrusive thoughts kept coming as they walked to the base of Mt.Jofuku to pick the herbs. She did know he hadn't liked it when he was young, he said so himself, but did he do this willingly now? Did he ask for something to help him control himself? Or had his Father suggested it, or even forced him into it? Last night, it seemed like he'd been forced, wanting to go back to bed, but had that been genuinely him not wanting to do it or was it just concern over not being able to wake up early enough?

Mahiru kept trying to force it out of her mind, it didn't concern her. What happened in that dojo was as much her business as what happened in the Hyuuga Courtyards were Suizen's. 

...But what happened to her friend was her business!

Unfortunately, her thoughts kept going in rounds much like that, trying to justify an interest in the Uchiha training, but trying to remind herself that she had no place to question it at the same time. 

They got to a village near the forest where the herb was found around midday, and made reservations to stay the night at a cheap hotel, since they'd be there for today and tomorrow, picking the herbs today and waiting tomorrow for a team of med-nin to prepare them for medicinal use and the long travel back to Konoha. Shika-sensei was slightly miffed that it had no baths, public or other, so they'd been given free coupons for the local hot springs instead.

There's been some noise, a warning against the flowers about their pollen. "Are they poisonous?" Mahiru, well annoyed at the heat and distance they'd traveled at that point and unintentionally snappish, had asked the lady at reception.

"No, but the pollen-"

"Will the flowers hurt us?"

"Not the flowers, but the pollen-"

"I think we can handle the pollen. Thank you." She took the keys with a huff.

"If she spits in our food, I'm blaming you." Mentioned Lai idly as they went to dump their stuff in the room before heading off to the forest. 

With harvesting baskets rented, the team went off into the forest.

They came across a patch relitively soon, but it was rather small.

So, Suizen went up to higher ground, mentioning to his team that he'd check from above to see if there were any larger meadows with the Flower, so they didn't have to pick the tinier patches clean from the forest floor.

"Okay, so what's up?" Asked Shika-Sensei, once Suizen was out of sight. "Something happened, didn't it?"

Lai chimed in, voice deadpan. "Glad I'm not the only one who noticed."

"What're you talking about?" Mahiru was crouched, grabbing what she could from the tiny patch they'd found. She hadn't even bothered to look at either of the Nara as she tossed the flowers into the basket strapped on her back.

"You've been looking at Suizen a lot, too often to be normal,  _and_ you slept over at his house." Said Lai, looking to her Hyuuga friend. "Did something happen? Are you finally ready to admit your feelings?"

"Feelings?" Asked Shika-sensei, sounding intrigued.

"No!" Mahiru said, face gone aflame. "No, as in there are no 'feelings', not that I'm ready to admit them." She said quickly clarifying when she saw that stupid sly smirk on Lai's stupid pointy face.

"So you admit-" 

Mahiru went to punch her friend, but her arm was held back by Shika-sensei. "Fuck your stupid loaded questions! It's not like that, it's never been like that!" She said loudly, possibly with a bit edge on her tone than intended, glaring at the ground Lai stood on, arm still straining and ready to slam into her dumb head.

 _It's his dad,_ she wanted to say, _and him! Assassination training, and the entire Uchiha house! They were born monsters in the eyes of the village and now that bastard Sasuke is making them actual killers! Suizen...Suizen won't talk and it's never happened before! Suizen's always been able to talk to me...why...? Why now?_

As rage and confusion filled her, as the turmoil of emotions she'd been bottling up came to ahead, tears began to fall down her cheeks unbeknownst to her.

"Mahiru!" Shika-sensei said, alarmed as she let go, the Hyuuga slumping slightly. All three turned, eyes widened as some sort of golden dust flowed from the forest floors, compiling together into twelve blobs of varying sizes.

Almost at once, their hearts seemed to stop as the dust solidified, creating the twelve members of Uchiha House.

All three woman stood at once, Mahiru's anger still burning as she faced the object of her newfound rage. "Uchiha-Sama?" Gasped Shika-sensei. This was some sort of illusion, it had to be! 

The golden-formed version of the Uchiha survivor, as well as his massive brood, raised their hands to their lips. A flame formed, reaching for the team. Each of them jumped out of the way and found that while the fire didn't burn hot as expected, it had attempted to engulf them like quick sand. 

Where Lai had jumped, she was met with eldest sister Sarada and the twins Shina and Shizu, all three aiming fists at her head. Shika-sensei was faced with Lady Uchiha and the quadruplet boys, working in a rhythmic tandem together that she'd never faced before. And Mahiru...She was faced with Suizen, Sayaka, and Seiji.

Above, standing in a tree, Sasuke Uchiha watched. Empty golden eyes looking down at her specifically, staring at Mahiru.

The Nara's acted fast, using Their Shadow Sewing Technique in an attempt to shred their Phantom opponents like wet paper, Mahiru's byakugan was activated and she was keeping them at bay while attempting to attack each in turn, but they were either too fast, or too strong. 

They weren't nearly on par with the real thing though, Lai was certain of that. But facing so many at different angles, it made fighting significantly harder, harder still as the Sasuke above, stood and pulled out his Katana, eyes still trained on Mahiru, who already had her hands full.

They were close to retreat and only needed an opening to make it out, or Suizen to get back and turn the tide. Above them, they heard the shout that they'd been waiting for. "KATON: GYOKAKYU NO JUTSU!!"

Fire enveloped the Uchiha head, real and burning hot.

The screeching sound that came as he burned was haunting, more beastly than human. The other ten, Lady Uchiha and her children, turned to face the real, flesh and blood, Suizen. He landed on the scorched earth where his faux-father had stood with a mighty bang, bright, white lightening in the palms of his hands as earth shattered beneath his fist. The lightening reached out across the ground and shocked each clone, gaining their attention and damaging them to some slight degree.

"Fly-swatting technique, now!" Shika-sensei shouted as Suizen focused his sights on the hollow, golden versions of his family, each of them turning their backs onto the girls.

Mahiru jumped, just managing to get past the line of phantoms to get back to back with Suizen, as their teacher and teammate positioned themselves at lefts and rights of the two clan borns. 

Suizen and Mahiru, kekki genkai's activated, watched each other's backs, turning in sync according to Mahiru when one got too close to either, Suizen reacting faster than Mahiru had time to see when one crept up past her notice, as the Nara's flattened the clones from the sides. 

He was still punching with lightening in his fists, she could feel the sparks and the smell of burning skin as his Lightening Cutter sliced and beat back, and even feel the smallest of shocks when her back met his. 

One by one, each golden imitation fell into dust, until there was only one left. Suizen's.

Faced with himself, ruffled, scraped and cut from battle, and the skin on his hand slightly burned from the heat, he looked at his identical, crouched with one hand on a windmill shuriken made of the same stuff he was.

Faced with a new opponent, the clone looked up at him, and reformed, turning back into a shapeless blob before emerging, once more as Sasuke Uchiha, standing tall and looking down at his son.

"Tch..." Mahiru heard him scoff, and looked up from where she knelt on one knee, aching from almost rolling it after putting it on a loose stone. She swallowed slightly, that same fear she felt last night coming back in a flood. Suizen was an Uchiha, and that meant power on a level Mahiru had never thought possible for someone of only 12 years. She had to realize that just because he was young, just because he was thin and lanky, he was still leagues ahead of her.

He launched himself at his father, who blasted back with golden flames and the legendary Susanoo, as the Hyuuga girl hanged her head in shame.

If Suizen had never deigned to tell her about his family training like she had to him, perhaps she was more of a friend to him that he was to her. Strength and ambition ran in his blood, more of a marker than even those eyes his family were so proud of. There was a reason genius ran in the Uchiha family, while the Hyuuga's only had two or three a generation. 

As he ran his hand through his father's chest, shattering the illusion, she fell to both knees.

Suizen came to her, standing infront of her. "I'm sorry," She said to him, voice trembling. "I'm sorry, it was my fault. It latched onto me, I was thinking about what I saw. I'm so sorr-"

Suizen's fist met the back of her head, her head met the dirt ground of the forest. It wasn't a hard punch, and certainly the weakest she'd ever felt from her comrade. He punched harder when he broke her nose at the academy. "Idiot!!" He shouted at her, as if the volume would make her listen even more. She looked at him, up from her point, and saw his black as night eyes, welling with tears. "You absolute, complete, goddamn fucking idiot!!" He reeled back to smack her again from the right, though it was even weaker than the first. "Do you even realize how worried I was?!" Another hit coming from the left, this one was more of a push than a punch.

He fell to his knees in front of her, suddenly small again like the 12 year old he was rather than the demon he acted as. His head connected with her shoulder, and she felt tears soak her jacket. "It was so quick...I saw the shape, and I thought he came to kill you...I moved before I could think..." He shook his head, rubbing his forehead into her coat, hands going to clutch onto her.

For a split second, he'd thought he killed his father to save his friend.

His hold loosened, and she realized he'd passed out. Shika-sensei inspected him, and said he's used up too much chakra in too short a time, and his body wasn't used to the sudden and large loss of energy due to being well practiced in chakra control. _He panicked,_ Mahiru thought. _Trying to save me from his Dad._

In the end, she and Suizen were sent back to the hotel to rest, as Shika-Sensei and Lai hadn't expended so much energy, and they need to pick as much as they could.

She carried him on her back, and couldn't help but notice how tiny he seemed despite the immense strength he possessed. 


	8. The Boy, Torn

Suizen was an Uchiha. One of fourteen left alive in the entire world. His was the last of a dynasty, and they were it's only hope of ever being returned to greatness, honor and glory in the eyes of all humanity.

He'd sworn to his father, long ago, that he would be kinder than other children. He would be as generous and gentle as he could be without becoming a soft-hearted idiot. He'd strike that balance between kindness and cowardice, and show his father how to do it too.

He was kind for the sake of being kind. He was gentle when he was allowed and strong when he wasn't.

A balance was struck between Suizen Uchiha, and the Demon, a balance he'd thought well maintained.

He thought he'd done his job as an Uchiha well.

He'd rise through the ranks, genin was easy, Chunin was simple if a bit difficult. He'd get to Jonin, and later serve a few years in AnBu before going on to get his own genin team, find a wife and father a new brood of Uchiha spawn (Not as much as his own dad had. Maybe seven or eight, if his wife would allow it.) or maybe teach at the academy or become a politician, a researcher, a medicine developer...

He'd live the most dullard life he could, he'd be as average and as humble and plain as possible so the Uchiha's wouldn't be seen as gods among men or as holier-than-thou lords of Konoha. That was his sacrifice, he'd forsake the glory and promise he had as a legendary shinobi and die in obscurity.

That was his plan. It had been his plan for as long as he could remember. The name, the persona, the 'demon' had thrown a massive monkey wrench into his plan, it had, but that was no reason to stop it. 'Wear it like armour' his brother had said. Well...you could outgrow armour. He felt sure he could still live as normal as possible, he'd out-grow the Demon.

But...as he got older, he found himself craving something more. More then recognition, more than awe and more than high esteem among his fellow shinobi. He wanted to do so much more for the world than simple, little acts of charity. He wanted to change the world for the better, not for the family, not for his village, but for everyone.

He wanted to be looked on by everyone, he wanted everyone to watch him be good so they would be good too. There was still so much anger left in the world...

He didn't fear death, he didn't fear insignificance, he didn't fear loneliness...He feared that, when he died, he'd be leaving a world just as weak and corrupt and empty as the one he'd been born into. The world where little kids could be called monsters, where stones were thrown at his little brothers' head and where strength was a warning sign if the wrong person was too strong too young.

How though? How could he demand so much attention? Gather the people he needed, the entire world had to watch, had to behold his kindness so they too might want to be kind...

He didn't know. He asked Nanadaime-sama how he'd become acknowledged by the village, by the world, as one of the most powerful shinobi that ever lived. 

He smiled, laughed and said 'It wasn't easy. I worked and toiled and worked some more. Your father might say different, but I wore my fingers down to the bones for months and years. Do you want to follow me? Suizen, do you want glory?'

He did, but he didn't want glory just because. He had a reason, a purpose other than himself.

For him and his siblings, he'd thought his purpose was to continue the line. That's what they'd been born to do, right? Rebuild the Uchiha Clan, restore their good name, and continue to serve the village in peace, and not wrath.

He felt beyond that. He wasn't just the fan on his back or the sharingan in his eyes. He was Suizen, his favorite food was lemon cakes, he loved to sing and dance, he'd played every single board game in existence with Suzu, and he absolutely, vehemently, without a doubt in his mind,  _hated_ being a shinobi.

He was though. By birth, he was meant to be a shinobi. He was the last of a dying clan, he  _had_ to be a shinobi. To do otherwise would be a criminal waste of opportunity. Being an average shinobi was still better than not being one at all.

Suzu often wished she could take the genin exam, but her eyesight was too poor and she was weak of constitution. Shiro had died young, too young to attend the academy but, in Shizu's stories of him, had still practiced as best he could when Mama and Papa weren't around. He thought he could compensate his bad blood and weak lungs with cunning.

They were weak and had dreams of being where he was. He was strong, able-bodied, and wishing away his rank and bloodline.

What else could he do besides anyway? Other than his abilities as a ninja, he had no skills. Mednin? He hated whiny idiots. Teacher? Kids were even worse. Researcher? He'd die of boredom.

He had the potential to do many things, he realized, just not the motivation.

He woke part way back to the hotel, riding on Mahiru's back. She hadn't noticed, and he didn't make himself known. He was tired, every muscle in his body felt exhausted and he just wanted to  _sleep_...

It was something that had weighed on his mind for a long while, less than a year after he'd gotten genin, at least. Unfulfilled and following a routine and orders. Get up, morning stretches, breakfast, report to teacher who techniclly isn't your teacher anymore, missions and chores until lunch, go home, train, read, train, eat, take a nap, take a bath, eat, chores, sleep...

He was tired...So very tired...

Eyes fell heavy again, and he breathed a soft sigh. "Didn't wanna be a demon..."

Mahiru didn't pause, didn't slow her steps, but did hear him and felt her throat tighten the slightest bit. "You're not a demon, Suizen." She whispered, assuring her friend as he dozed again.

* * *

After she set Suizen down in the room, Mahiru sat down and waited. His injuries were small, minor cuts and bruises, it was more the sudden drop in chakra that had been the issue most pressing. After forcing the Uchiha to swallow some soilder pills, all she had to do was wait.

She waited and waited...Until the Nara's came back that evening, having picked enough Jofuku herbs for four and scowling. Exhausted, they collapsed soon after arriving.

Eventually, even Mahiru fell asleep.

It was Suizen who woke in the middle of the night, his old teacher and teammates snoring around him.

He stared up at the ceiling and sighed deeply, sadly. Demon and shinobi went hand in hand, it seemed. The effort it took to stop it, the late night training, the extra pressure and effort to be quiet, quick, efficient instead of relying on ruthlessness and raw strength...He'd made himself over into a whole new monster. He didn't want to be either, even if it meant pissing away his potential.

He crawled out of bed, and out the window. He stuck to the wall, and climbed up to the sloped ceiling. It was better outside, the village streetlights were shining from bellow, a soft wind blew towards Mt.Jofuku and it was warm...

"You ever see the stars when there's no light pollution? It's crazy, like a road of stars." 

Suizen didn't even glance down upon hearing Mahiru's voice. She'd climbed up the same way he had. "Wasn't looking at them, but yeah. Once or twice."

"Mind if I ask you some things?" She asked, coming to sit beside him. 

"20 questions? I'll answer yours if you answer mine."

She huffed slightly, an annoyed and tired smile crossing her face. "Okay, fine. The night I stayed over, the training I saw, was that assassination training?"

"Ooh, right to the meat of it, huh?" Suizen couldn't help but smirk. "Yes, that is the traditional use, but I never intended to use it for actual killing. Though, it's still possible to use. Do yoooou...like cheese?"

Mahiru scoffed. "You know I'm lactose intolerant."

"You didn't answer."

"No, Suizen. I do not like cheese. Did you take that training willingly?"

"At first I did. It helped to control my temper, but after a while...it got harder and harder to do. I kept doing it though, to keep me sharp."

"Why? If you don't like it, why keep doing it?"

"Uh-uh." Suizen lifted a finger. "My turn now, wait your turn. Round two, do you really still have that stuffed toy bunny I won you at the festival?"

"Don't disrespect my Bunbun! 'Course I still have him. Now answer my damn question.

"I keep doing it because it's...it's my duty. To be better, to better myself. I owe him that much."

"Owe who?"

Suizen had apparently forgotten about 'turns'. "My Dad. He's stretched so thin with so many of us, we all have to pull a bit of our own weight. I was being problematic, I was the rage monster that was giving him headaches and taking him away from other things that needed to be done. I'll repay him as much as I can, even if it is miserable."

"Do you even want to be a shinobi?"

For a moment, he was quiet. "No, I don't." It felt strange, admitting it outloud. "But, what can you do? It's the life I was born to live." He said, arms stretching above his head, laying back against the slanted roof.

"Bull." Mahiru scoffed. "And here I thought only the Hyuuga's were all about that destiny crap. You're not a cloud on a fixed breeze, Suizen. If you want to quit, then quit."

He laughed, deep and throaty. "And do what? Sit at home all day? Be the family screw up?"

"There's other things you could do. Medical, or-"

"Yes, Mahiru. I've thought about becoming a doctor or nurse or teaching and just about everything else. I've thought about finding a girl to marry and being a stay-at-home Father like my Dad, or starting a senbei shop with my Great Aunt's recipes...but come on, Mahiru, be serious. Could you ever see me doing anything else? What other path is there for me to take?"

She listened in silence, and breathed in a deep sigh. "Well...you could sing, and dance."

Suizen sat up quickly. "Dance? What, like...a geisha?"

"There's been word on the internet, some production company is trying to make some sort of...dramatic TV retelling, with music." She explained, fiddling with her coat sleeve a little. "Supposedly, it's supposed to revolve around the life and times of Nanadaime-Sama, starting from his younger years. There's going to be auditions, I'm told."

Suizen's brows furrowed, listening. "So, not a geisha, an actor!" His bright e yes widened, a grin splitting his face as it dawned on him. "Nanadaime-sama? Then, I'd just have to dye my hair, and-"

"You'd be a shinobi without being a shinobi." She said with a little smile. "So, what do you think?"

"Yeah, I-" All at once, his bouncy eagerness deflated. "He'd never allow it." He said with dim realization. "Can you imagine? 'Sasuke Uchiha, portrayed by Suizen Uchiha!!' Man..." He smiled bitterly. "What a joke. I'd make the family a laughing stock, an Uchiha quit to be an actor..."

Mahiru sat up, looking down at the younger teen. "Nobody has to know. You could make up a stage name."

"I think my parents would know, especially if I suddenly stopped going on missions."

Mahiru's brow furrowed, her annoyance beginning to build, grabbing the smaller boy's shoulders, holding him down and looking down at him. "You're  _not_ your parents property, you're their spawn."

He looked up at her with a sad look in his dark eyes. "Mahiru...come with me." He said. "Audition with me, be Sakura Haruno."

"I look nothing like your mother." She scoffed, sitting back on her heels.

"So?" Suizen sat up, looking at his friend. "Papa always told me he wanted to be better for her, so he could come and build a family with her. You make me better, so if it's not you playing Sakura, I don't think I could ever be an actor."

"I...Suizen, you can be better all on your own. You don't need to rely on anyone else. Go be an actor, become a celebrity and marry someone of the same status."

The Uchiha boy looked down for a moment, shaking his head. "Never mind then, I don't want to. I'll stay here."

"Idiot!" Mahiru said, hackles raising like a cat. "You hate being a ninja, you're a great dancer  _and_ singer!! All you need is practice and you could be a great actor t-"

"Not if it means leaving you."

For a moment, Mahiru was silenced. Leaving her...? "What do you mean?" She asked, subdued slightly.

"If I'm not marrying you, I don't want to marry."

Color rose to her cheeks, and she looked away. "You're an idiot."

"So I've been told." He laughed slightly, standing and about to step off the roof. "I'm going back to bed, don't stay up too late." He stuck to the wall, sliding back into their shared room.


	9. That Boy, Unhappy

They returned, hauling the prepared Jofuku flowers over their shoulders, heading back to Konoha.

They split not long after they delivered to the hospital, meeting up with the medicine maker of the hospital to hand over the fresh herbs.

"Sui-chan! I'm glad you're here!" The four turned to look, seeing the second-oldest Uchiha daughter, Shina with an arm in the air. "We're short handed for patrols, get the uniform on."

"I just got home Shina! Can't I rest a while?" He whined, slouching where he stood.

"Picking flowers is not a hard mission, lets go." She said, dragging her brother by the collar, away from his team and out the door.

"Siiiiis!" He bemoaned as he was taken away.

The Nara's chuckled, waving goodbye as their friend was taken away. "Hey, Ma-chan." Lai said, poking her friend's shoulder. "I was going to get some bubble tea, coming with?"

Mahiru shook her head. "Nah, I have something I need to do."

* * *

"Suizen isn't here, he's with Shina." Said Sasuke, standing at the doorstep.

Mahiru looked down for a moment, taking a quiet, steadying breath. She came all this way, she had to at least...talk to him. "I know, sir. I...I came to see you, I need to talk to you for a moment, if you'll humor me."

The man's stone face was unreadable as he stared down at her, like a cat spying a sleeping canary. "I have nothing urgent to take care of," He said finally, going back inside and leaving the door open. This was as much invitation as Mahiru was likely to get, so she followed.

Shoes off, in the living room she had so many times before sat in, she felt particularly...strange, knowing that only she and Sasuke were in the house. She'd never been here without Suizen... "Alright, what did you want to talk about?" Asked Sasuke, setting a cup of green tea infront of his son's friend.

"The night before last, when I stayed here, I thought I heard something and I got worried. I went up to check before raising any alarms, and...I saw."

Sasuke's expression didn't change in the slightest, remaining stone despite the surprise he felt. Had he really not noticed or was Mahiru that good of a shinobi?

She continued on. "I asked Suizen about it, and he told me that you've been...training him like that since the academy, when he broke my nose. And...while I don't think it's right, I know that I have no place to question how he trains or how you raise your children, I think that...you should know, Suizen doesn't want to be a Shinobi anymore, he wants to be an actor." 

Sasuke let a bit of emotion slip, mouth open slightly. Suizen? How? The training had come so naturally to him, and he'd only gotten better and better through the years. Had he pushed him too far? "How do you know this?"

"He's told me, but he never wanted you to find out. He didn't...want to disapoint you. I'm here without his permission, but...I don't want my best friend to keep doing something he hates just because he's scared. He...Uchiha-sama, your son can sing, and he's the best dancer I've ever seen. What he can do on the battle field is only half of what he's capable of on a stage. You should see him, he lights up in a way I've never seen him before. He's...he's happy then, and the only thing keeping him is...is you."

Sasuke glanced down, brows furrowed slightly. He hadn't picked up on Suizen's unhappiness, not at all. He'd been as diligent as ever and an active participant in family training days, complaining only as much as any ordinary teenager would. Had he misjudged his son? He didn't  _want_ his son to end up a starving artist, the life of a Shinobi had always been a far more stable life despite the dangers, and Suizen would be in a leauge of his own due to his liniage...

Realizing he'd been quiet too long, and the awkward silence was stretching out, Sasuke finally spoke. "Thank you, Mahiru. For telling me. I will talk to him."

She nodded, bowing slightly. "Thank you, sir. For listening to me. I...I care for Suizen, I would like him to be happy."

"That's all I want for my kids as well. He's lucky to have you."

Mahiru stood, bowing one final time before making her exit, leaving Sasuke alone with his thoughts. What strange timing...

He picked up his phone, texting Naruto about the TV producers who'd been begging him and Sakura to use their life stories for some weird musical show. They were going to start with a movie Docudrama, and move on to produce weekly episodes. They'd already spoken to Naruto, who'd only agree if everyone else was on board.

Many of the old Konoha 11, and many of the families included in the 'story' had agreed, and only left the Uzumaki and Uchiha's left to oppose. Sasuke had been milling over the decicion for months behind closed doors with Sakura, weighing pros and cons of reminding the world of his misdeeds, but also bringing light to Itachi's sacrifice and the truth behind Danzo and Obito.  _I'm not handing him a career,_ He thought firmly, asking Naruto to arrange a meeting between the old Team 7 and the producers, who'd been purposely avoiding Sasuke out of sheer terror.  _Suizen will have to work at being an actor just as hard as Shizu did at becoming a doctor or Shina becoming a police officer. He auditions, and he wins or loses based on his own merit. He gets no free rides._

He got a return text after a few minutes.  ** _I'll get in contact. Tell you time and place when it's arranged._**

 


	10. That boy, Found Out

"Is it true, Papa, Mama?" Sayaka was the first to ask at dinner that night. "Are they making a movie about you guys?"

Sasuke glanced at his son through the corner of his eye, noting how his head perked up slightly, unnoticable to the untrained eye.

"They're asking for permission to, yes." Sakura answered Sayaka, handing her a bowl of white rice.

"Are you gonna let them?" Asked Shina when she heard. "That sounds like something you could get a lot of money for." Added Shizu after her.

Sasuke spoke up. "Money isn't a priority, it's what they're gonna do. They said it's not going to be an exact one-to-one telling, with...singing and such." 

"A drama musical?" Asked Shou, tilting his head curiously. "Are they gonna make you and Nanadaime-sama kiss in it?"

Sasuke shot a look at his son, as the entire table burst into hysterical giggles, Sakura included.

"You should let them." Seiji said as he picked through the hotpot for some of the veggies. "It would be a good oportunity to tell the whole story."

"Yeah! I wanna audition! I could totally play Mama, Shannaro!" Sayaka declared, arm raised in the air.

All at once, her siblings made a harmonious chime of disagreement.

"Mean!!" Pouted Sayaka, with a huff of annoyance.

"Sorry, Sayaka-chan." Seiji said, smiling slightly at his months-younger sister. "But we've all heard you singing in the shower."

"Suizen?" Shizu looked to his brother. "You alright? You're being quiet."

The pink haired boy blinked slightly, looking up from his bowl. "Ah? No, I'm fine. Just tired is all, Shina made me patrol again after I finished running messages for Hokage-sama today."

Shizu looked to his twin, green eyes sharp and accusing. "Shina!! Don't run our little siblings ragged because you're short-handed!! Teenagers need sleep, you're gonna stunt his growth!!"

"Nag, nag, nag! That's all you do!" Shina bit back with a roll of her eyes. "Besides, it's not like you don't use them to run errands when you're working late."

And so, with the collective conversation turned to Shina and Shizu's arguement (and a majority of the little siblings demanding repayment from both of them), Suizen fell back into an uncharactaristic silence.

So, Mahiru was right. There was going to be a show about his parents...

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Suizen, help me with dishes." Sasuke called as everyone began to pile them together. "You dry."

The pink-haired boy groaned alout. "Do I have to? I'm tired!"

"Yes you have to, father's orders." Sasuke said firmly. "Come on, gather the dishes. The quicker we do this the quicker it's over."

Suizen looked annoyed, but didn't disobey. He gathered what was on the table and what was left over from the pot was put into the compost bin, and he trudged to the kitchen to help wash.

Sasuke was already in the midst of washing, using his one arm. "I'll wash." Said Suizen, pushing his father to the side slightly.

"Thank you." Sasuke said, apprecitively. 

"Don't thank me, Dad. If you had your prosthedic on all the time I wouldn't have offered. You're a slow dish washer without it." Suizen said simply, scrubbing and rinsing.

Sasuke breathed out a soft chuckle at his son's bluntness. "Suizen, I've been hearing some things lately."

"Nn?" Suizen hummed, not looking at his father as he wiped the chopsticks. "Should I be worried? Because I haven't done anything wrong in like, a week now."

"It's nothing like that." Sasuke said with a sigh. "I heard that...you're unhappy as a Shinobi."

Suizen's fingers twitched, and he let a bowl hit the sink rather hard. "Mahiru told you that, huh?" He asked, going back to the dishes as usual.

"She had, a while ago." Sasuke confirmed, looking down at his boy. "But I would like to hear it from you. Are you happy? Living as a Shinobi?"

"Happy or not, that's what I am." Suizen replied with a bitter edge. "What does it matter? It shouldn't matter."

"Suizen, if you don't want to be a shinobi, that's alright. There's other avenues you could try."

"Like what, Dad?" Suizen said sharply, looking up at his father. "Policemen? Doctor? I'll tell you what I told Mahiru! I've thought about it, I've considered everything! There's nothing!"

"Suizen." Sasuke looked down Suizen, calm in the face of his son's rage and frustration. "If you're worried about what your mother and I think-"

"It's not that." The boy looked away. "I...I'm good at this, being a ninja. I've always been good at it...but everything else is just...it's a hobby. I don't want to bank my entire future on something I might only be half-good at, and be mocked for failing at it for the rest of my life."

"Konoha will always be waiting here for you." Sasuke told him softly. "And people have short memories. Suizen, before anything else, I want you to be happy. That's all I or your mother have ever wanted for you and your brothers and sisters, we want you to be happy. If being a ninja isn't doing that, then I fully encourage you to find something else."

Suizen let our a ragged breath, biting his lower lip. "What if they don't like me?"

"There'll be other productions." Sasuke replied serenely. "But, if you do choose to pursue acting, I have one condition." 

"What's that?" Asked Suizen, looking up at his father. 

"I want you to choose a stage name. I don't want the producers to see your name and give you the part only on that. I'm not going to hand you a career on a silver platter, you're going to have to work at it just like the rest of your siblings."

Suizen looked thoughtful for a moment, and nodded. "Yeah...Yeah, alright. I think I could do that. I'll...I'll start looking..." He said, stepping away from the kitchen sink.

Sasuke let him go, only a moment later realizing he still had a mountain of dishes to do and only one arm to do them with. With a critical eye, he looked at the pile, and sighed. He used his Susanoo, the swirling purple chalkra forming a clawed but usable arm, and started to wash.

 


	11. That Boy, Trying

_Name (or Alias if Desired)_ :

 _Date of Birth and current age:_ May 23, fourteen years old                           

_Country of Origin:_ Konohagakure no Sato                                                                    

 _Physical Descrption of Current Appearence:_  
                    Eye Color: Black                             __  
Hair Color/Style: Original: light red. Current: Dyed black, chin-length                 __  
Skin Tone: Pale white                               
_Body Type:_ Athletic, muscular                                                                              
                    _Other (tattoo's, birthmarks, ect.):_ No Tattoos, no birthmarks, long scar on shin.

 _Previous Work in the Industry (If Applicable):_ N/A                                                          
_Previous Job:_ Special Jonin of Konoha, specialized in Taijutsu                              _  
_

_Contact Number:_  XXX-XXX-XXXX                                                                                  
_Agent Name/Number (If Applicable):_  N/A                                                           

Suizen stared down at the page, pen in hand. Besides him sat maybe thirty or so other boys, all around his age, all of them with the same basic look. Dark hair, dark eyes, pale-skinned. They all looked so alike, some little part of Suizen wondered if his father had made a few more Uchiha's without his mothers knowledge.

He pushed a strand of his hair aside, still unused to the pitch blackness of it after spending all his life as a deticated pinkette, so unwilling to change despite how difficult it had been to be stealthy with such a hair color. He had his headshots taken a while ago, about a month or so before, one artsy black-and-white set and one in full color, before and after his hairdye.

He hadn't talked to Mahiru in a while, he thought quietly, still staring at that 'name' bit at the very top.

He'd been angry at her, for going around behind his back, and maybe he'd been avoiding her for a while there, angry that she'd spoken to his father when he'd asked her spesificlly  _not to_ , but...He'd been overreacting. He...after this, he ought to apologize. She had been braver than him, to speak to his father...

He'd waffled back and forth between doing this for the interm months, doing the pictures on his sister's insistence, dying his hair with Lai's (his third teammate with Mahiru) help. He'd been practicing, adding little lies to his everyday life to test his acting skills, reciting play lines with his niece when it was his turn to babysit Satomi, and working on his singing more consistantly.

It still scared him, the prospect of being rejected, even for something like this...His mind wandered back to something that his brother and sister had once told him long ago.

 _"Wear the Devil's skin like armor, carry the Red Spring like a sword, so it can never be your weakness."_ Well...his weakness right now was his fear, like how back then it had been his anger.

He would...He would try to remember his weakness, carry it with him, the fear he felt in his moment and the anger he held back then, and make it his weapon and his motivation. On his palm, he scribbled out a few combinations before he found one he could use.

 _Name (or Alias if Desired)_ : Akaharu no Akuma

He would be a devil, but at the very least...he wanted to be a nice devil. And nice devil's don't abandon their friends.

Papers were asked to be handed in, and Suizen put his in just in time.  _Soon,_ he thought, setting the page down on the stacked pile, as names started to be called for actors to get up and move to a private room to audition.  _After this, Mahiru. I need to see you._


	12. That Boy, Gone

The boy who stood in front of Mahiru wasn’t Suizen. Suizen…He was just a bit shorter, his hair was pink, he wore red, his symbol was the Uchiha fan inside the Haruno Circle, his own personal sigil.

But this one…It felt strange, to think Suizen had changed so much in such a short time. Dark hair, cut short, wearing dark violet instead of red, with no symbol to announce his status as one of the last living Uchiha, taller and less muscled without a rigorous routine of missions and training.

Mahiru thought she’d been excised from the Uchiha’s life, and part of her was understanding and another part furious. Right now, though…she couldn’t tell what it was she was feeling. Some mix of relief and annoyance and…and fear. He'd changed, he'd auditioned, he probably got some big part and he'd be leaving soon. She'd heard from one of his siblings, off handed, that he was leaving, but they weren't making a huge deal of it.

Yes, she'd done it because he'd been too chicken to, and she knew it was the best course for him, but...but he was still leaving, and god knows when he'd come back, if he'd ever forgive her for going behind his back.

It had taken a while for Suizen…for Akuma to find her again, she’d been gone on a long training mission with a few of her elder Hyuga cousins, possibly trying to avoid him as much as he’d been avoiding her, but eventually, just a two weeks before he would be shipped out onto set, they’d met up.

“What do you think? Does it suit me?” He asked, instead of attempting a greeting. He pushed back his hair, his roots were starting to show again, but they’d fix it once they were at the studio lot, in Suna.

“Not…Not really, but then again, I’ve been looking at you since the academy. It’ll grow on you.” She replied, a thin smile on her face.

“I hope so. It’s hair, it kinda has to grow.” The now-black haired boy said, returning her smile with one of his own.

“Jackass.” Muttered Mahiru, with a roll of her moon white eyes. “So, you’re leaving then? You got the part.”

“Not really, I got stunt double.” Akuma shrugged slightly. “It’s a place to start, so I’m not complaining.”

“You’ll do great, Suizen.” Mahiru hummed, confident for her friend. “You’ll be a superstar actor in no time. You have to be.”

“I dunno. I think I’m just happy _not_ being a shinobi.” Sighed the boy, starting down the street and silently inviting her to join him. “Even if I live off bit parts and background work. It’s fine.”

“You have no vision.” Complained Mahiru. “Come on, shoot for the stars!! I want to meet celebrities and mooch off you’re popularity, get you to take me to awards shows!”

The dark haired teen smiled lightly. “Ma-chan? I’ll take you to an awards show…if you agree that it’s a date.”

Mahiru froze for half a second. “Date? Like…date-date not a-“

Akuma nodded. “Yes, like an actual date. I’m…I’m going to be leaving, but I don’t want to leave you for good. You didn’t audition for the part, but…regardless, I still like you. If I asked, could you wait for me? I’ll work harder, knowing that our first date depends on me getting an award.”

And Mahiru had nearly forgotten that moment on the rooftops, so many months ago… “You know I’m older than you, right?”

“So?”

“I might find someone here to date.”

“That’s why I’m asking you now.”

“I’m a Hyuuga?”

“Really? I thought those eyes were just contact lenses.” He rolled his eyes slightly. “Seriously, Mahiru. I…I know it’s weird, but I really think I was meant to be with you. I just want to wait, until I can give you something worth having. I’m an unseasoned actor about to leave for his first shoot, I’m making next to nothing on the job and…well, you deserve a super star celebrity. Let me work towards that, towards becoming what you deserve.”

“I…I probably would’ve said yes, even if you were still a shinobi, or even if you were unemployed.” Mahiru muttered, glancing away with a light pink blush on his face. “So…fine, okay. I’ll wait for you.”

He took hold of her sleeve, stopping her gait for a moment. She turned, looking back at him questioningly. He smiled at her, and reached out, and poked her forehead with two fingers. “Thank you, Mahiru.”


End file.
